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History of Toothbrushes – From Twigs to Electric toothbrushes

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Oral health is, was and will always be a very important part of our overall health. It is something that we pay attention to every single morning and night. But have you ever wondered how this all started? How did our ancestors go about with their oral health? We see a lot of new products nowadays from electric toothbrushes to water flossers. Different formulated toothpastes keep popping up everyday. But how did the older generations manage with their comparatively lesser resources? Read along

Ancient toothbrushes and pastes

It is said that ancient Egypt, China and India are the first countries to come up with ways to clean their teeth. This was approximately around five to six thousand years ago. ‘Meswak’ ‘Neem’ and ‘Twigs’ were the most used objects for toothbrushes.

Ancient Chinese and Egypt were said to use a mix of flower petals, salt and water and then use leaves, twigs or bones to apply these to the teeth. They even had special gargling teas to use after every meal

Ancient Indians used to use the famous neem tree branch as a toothbrush. Along with rubbing it on the teeth, they would chew on it to break away the fibers and let the fibers of the branch clean in between the teeth. Neem is said to be an antibacterial plant hence they had such strong teeth

First ever toothbrush - Bamboo

The Chinese designed the first ever toothbrush during the late 1400s . It was made with a bamboo stick on which wild boar bristles were attached. This closely mimicked today’s toothbrush pattern. But as the bristles would soften when they came in contact with moisture, they had to keep changing them. Also, the rough nature of the bristles would irritate their gums. This led to many experiments with animal hair, fur and leaf stalks as alternative bristes.

As inventions progressed - Nylon

With the invention of nylon, during the 1900s – toothbrushes took a modern turn. They were much more gentle and long lasting with nylon bristles. Yes during that time they were deemed expensive but as time passed, everyone started to use them.

With an increase in medical professionals and dentists conducting research to upgrade oral health, nylon toothbrushes took many turns – zigzag brushes, thin brushes, thick brushes, soft, medium and hard level brushes and more.

Electric toothbrushes

They were invented only a couple of years after the nylon toothbrushes. The first electric toothbrush was a plugged device with running voltage. This was initially designed for people with limited motor skills or those who did not have proper brushing strength.

As the years passed, the electric toothbrush became cordless and rechargeable. They now come in different size bristles with different settings.

As you can see, oral health has always been a major concern for people of all ages and generations. Oral hygiene measures have been carried down through generations and we at prudentoe, with our symbolic logo of a bird with a twig in its mouth, aim to keep providing our patients with the best modern dental care at your doorstep. Contact us now.