History of the toothbrush. Who invented or was the first to come up with a toothbrush with natural bristles, and when did it appear in Russia?

To the question Who invented the first toothbrush? given by the author I) the best answer is The very first toothbrush that we know about appeared thousands of years ago.
Known as a toothbrush, this brush was made by chewing or kneading small twigs or tree roots until the fibers at one end became soft enough to form a rough brush. If you chew on one end of a toothpick, you will get a cleaning surface similar to a “teeth stick.” Some aborigines of Australia and Africa, following ancient tradition, still brush their teeth with such brushes.
The ancient Chinese, Romans and Greeks were also ardent believers in oral care.
Five thousand years ago, the Chinese believed that tooth decay was caused by white toothworms with black heads, which can be seen after tooth extraction. In those times toothache treated with laxatives, mouth rinses, massage and pills. Pills, usually made from ground garlic and salt drops, were inserted into the ear opposite the side of the face where the toothache was felt.
The ancient Romans also had their own preferences for dental care. Pliny the Younger of Rome (61-113 AD) stated that the use of vulture feathers as toothpicks is the cause unpleasant odor from the mouth, but the use of porcupine quills is acceptable because it “strengthens the teeth.”
However, the Greeks were much more modern. In the third century BC, Aristotle advised Alexander the Great to wipe his teeth every morning with “a thin linen cloth with a slightly uneven surface.” Reference to the use of linen as a teeth-cleaning agent even dates back to 1602, when William Vaughan wrote in Fifteen Precepts for Keeping Healthy that to keep teeth “white and sound, [people should] rinse their mouths after every meal, sleep with your mouth slightly open, and in the morning take a piece of linen cloth and thoroughly wipe your teeth inside and out.”
In fifteenth-century Europe, teeth picking was widespread until philosophers began issuing warnings about how not to behave. Rhodes instructed: “Do not pick your teeth with a knife, but take a stick or some clean object, then you will not have inflammation.”
Production of toothbrushes in their relative modern form was started in 1780 by the Englishman William Edis. These brushes had a handle made of bone, and the brush itself was made of Siberian boar bristles, which were screwed through holes made.
This toothbrush was transported to the United States, where in 1880 the hand-carved, polished femurs cattle were already magnificent toothbrush handles, into which long pig bristles were manually inserted, one tuft into one hand-drilled hole.
However, according to some sources, in China the first such brushes, similar to those patented in the 19th century, appeared back in 1498. The materials for them were pig bristles, horse and badger hair.
Only the inventor of synthetic thread, DuPont, replaced animal hairs with hairs made of synthetic material (nylon) in 1938, which made brushes hygienic.
The first electric toothbrush was developed in 1939 in Switzerland, but the electric toothbrush was only sold in the 60s under the name Broxodent.

Answer from Crocozybra[guru]
William Addis

Answer from Eurovision[guru]
The production of toothbrushes began in 1780 by the Englishman William Edis

Answer from Low grade[guru]
read wikipedia.org

Answer from Prosyanka[guru]
In 1498, China came up with the idea of ​​attaching a small number of Siberian boar bristles to a bamboo handle. True, this brush was used “dry”, that is, without toothpaste or cleansing powder. The bristles were chosen the hardest and most durable - from the ridge of the boar. We attached the bristly head not parallel to the handle, as we are used to, but perpendicularly, to make cleaning more convenient.

Answer from *B*O*N*N*Y*[guru]
I will add to the modern perfect instrument of hygiene:-) a few words about its discoverers. 510 years ago, the wise Chinese came up with the idea of ​​brushing your teeth with chopsticks split at the ends in the form of a brush. Moreover, they made metal toothpicks and tongue scrapers. This invention became popular among other nations. Some scientists even wrote up instructions for using the first toothbrushes. Indian thinkers, for example, took into account not only the benefits of brushing teeth, but also suggested using different breeds trees and shrubs with astringent, sour or bitter tastes. Moreover, each flavor was recommended for people with a certain type temperament.
Other inventors went even further and began to think about the composition of toothpaste. The first pastes were compositions containing honey, vegetable oils and a number of aromatic ingredients. They spent a lot of time on oral care, brushing each tooth separately. For example, the Arabs, in accordance with the Koran, brushed their teeth several times a day according to an established ritual, and also rubbed their teeth and gums from time to time rose oil, myrrh, alum, honey. The gums were also looked after very carefully. Cleaned them carefully, avoiding damage.
Since the 16th century, surgeon Ambroise Paré recommended careful oral hygiene, including rinsing with various disinfectant solutions. Mainly used weak solutions alcohol or nitric acid (the same acid solution was also used for teeth whitening). Today, a person is luckier and does not need to take risks by putting acid in his mouth to rinse. Not only that, but the brushes are now battery-powered and have a rough side for the tongue :-)

Answer from RETERTRET[newbie]
Already in Ancient Egypt there were toothpick sticks, pointed at one end and fluffy at the other. The teeth were rubbed with this natural whisk, and special compounds were rubbed into the gums. In Babylon, Greece, and Rome, oral hygiene was also quite developed, including brushing teeth, chewing fibrous plants, and rubbing gums. In Arab countries, methods of chewing plants with disinfectant properties have long been known. In India, chewing twigs of the neem tree are still sold. Friction against the fibers of the twig cleanses the teeth, and the juice disinfects and strengthens the teeth and gums. So chewing gum has a long history. Toothpaste is written about in Egyptian papyrus. It consisted of crushed and mixed salt, pepper, mint leaves and iris flowers.

Answer from Anastasia Frolova[newbie]
William Addis seems to be

Toothbrush on Wikipedia
Check out the Wikipedia article about Toothbrush

Maybe you have ever wondered how many times you can reinvent the toothbrush. Imagine that, according to statistics, between 1963 and 1998 more than 3,000 toothbrush models were patented!
Our ancestors probably understood a thing or two about dental hygiene. Paleontologist Leslie Hlusko of the University of Illinois claims to have evidence that early humans used vestigial toothpicks.

may result from erosion caused by repeated rubbing against grass stems. Skeptics emphasize that modern toothpicks do not leave marks, but, according to Hlusko, the abrasive properties of grass are higher - because, unlike wood, it contains many solid silicon particles. Hlusko says that the blades of grass would have left marks corresponding to the diameter of these holes - from one and a half millimeters to 2.6. Similar blades of grass grew almost everywhere, and there was practically no need to finish them to turn them into a good toothpick.
It is believed that ancient hominids began picking their teeth in an attempt to relieve pain from dental diseases. Hlusko conducted experiments first with a baboon tooth, then with a human one, and in both cases she was able to leave marks almost identical to those found on fossil teeth.

It is known that toothpicks were popular in ancient China, Japan, India, Iran and other early eastern civilizations. They were usually made from mastic wood, sometimes from gold or bronze.

The unnoticed but very important history of the toothbrush begins with chewing

flax records that were used by the inhabitants of Babylon many centuries before the birth of Christ. Ancient authors discussed the issue of brushing teeth very enthusiastically, and if you believe their evidence, then a simple chewing plate evolved into a chewing stick the size of a modern pencil. Lovers of cleanliness and hygiene chewed one end to form a wider cleaning surface, and used the other as a toothpick. By the way, the Romans kept special slaves for the difficult task of brushing teeth. This hygienic ritual was part of religious rituals.

These sticks, the most primitive version of a toothbrush, are still used by some Australian and African tribes, and are reported to be as effective at brushing as their modern counterparts.

The invention of the brush with bristles in 1498 is considered to be the merit of the Chinese. The bristles of a Siberian boar were attached to a bamboo or bone handle. Moreover, for such a task, only the “hair” that grew on the neck was shaved off the boar.

During the time of Ivan the Terrible, dental “brooms” were in use in Rus' - sticks with a tuft of bristles at the end, which the boyars used after meals.

Peter I ordered the boyars to brush their teeth with crushed chalk and a damp cloth. But the people knew another method: coals from birch wood perfectly whiten teeth. But you should rinse your mouth especially carefully after such cleaning.

This brush came to Europe in the seventeenth century and soon became widespread. Europeans who brushed their teeth (and there were very few of them, since at that time using a brush was considered an indecent activity - the custom of using a toothpick made of goose feather, gold or copper after meals was much more common) found pig bristles too harsh and replaced her horsehair. According to written sources, French dentists, the most "advanced" specialists in this field in Europe at that time, actively recommended daily use toothbrush throughout the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Doctors working in colonized America also recommended its use.

Gradually natural hair was replaced by nylon, which was invented in 1937 in the laboratories of Dupont de Nemours. The first such brush appeared in 1938. But toothbrushes, even with nylon bristles, remained very stiff, until in 1950 the Du Pont company improved the technology and made nylon hairs softer.

Oddly enough, the explosion in the hygiene industry, and in particular when it came to brushing teeth, occurred during World War II thanks to the military and continued into the post-war era. The houses of Europe and America were literally flooded with all kinds of hygiene products. Rapidly developing technologies for the use of plastics made it possible to produce brushes of the most different colors and forms.

The idea of ​​an electric toothbrush was proposed back in 1880 by Dr. Scott. Hairs" Electric brush Dr. Scott," according to the manufacturers, "possessed a constant electromagnetic field."
The first true mechanical toothbrush was patented in Switzerland after World War II and was powered by electricity. In 1960, it appeared on the American market. And in 1961, General Electric introduced the first model with a self-contained power supply. And although this thing seemed overkill to many, the electric toothbrush very quickly gained popularity. Later, various modifications of it appeared: a mechanical toothbrush with a built-in timer, a mechanical toothbrush with replaceable cleaning heads, etc.

In the 60s, in addition to mechanical brushes, electric rotating brushes appeared (Rotadent, Interplack, etc.). They work like hand brushes, but with increased abrasion, as they rotate at an average speed of 7000 movements per minute or 58 Hz. These brushes become an order of magnitude more effective than manual ones, but if cleaned too aggressively, they can harm the enamel.
In the 90s, electric reciprocating brushes appeared, also working on the principle of abrasion, most of which exist on today's market.
Combining the results of 29 studies involving 2,547 people from North America, Europe and Israel, American and British scientists concluded that only one type of electric toothbrush - Braun Oral-B, which performs rotational-oscillatory movements, is much more effective than a conventional manual one.

But the most significant progress in more “gentle” teeth cleaning was achieved with the development of sonic toothbrushes (Braun Oral B-3D, Sonicart, Panasonic, etc.). They operate at a sound frequency of an average of 30,000 strokes per minute or 250 Hz, which allows for a deeper and at the same time “gentle” foam cleaning.
In the mid-90s in the USA, Dr. Robert Bock developed and patented the Ultrasonex dual-frequency ultrasonic brush. This brush uses absolutely new technology, based on ultrasound. The brush moves at a speed of 196,000,000 movements per minute (or 1,600,000 Hz), which is more than 6,000 times faster than sonic ones. In addition to ultrasonic, “foamy” sound frequency is also used - 18,000 movements per minute. The bacteria that make up plaque are arranged in chains and attached to the surface of the tooth. . Waves of a therapeutic ultrasonic frequency of 1.6 MHz break these chains even under the gum (at a level of 5 mm) and destroy the method of attachment of bacteria, and the sound frequency of 18,000 movements per minute or 150 Hz, having a foaming effect, helps to gently remove this plaque.

A 12-week double-blind study at Case Western Dental Institute, USA, in 2 groups of patients (group 1 - using a brush with ultrasonic frequency, 2nd - without ultrasound), showed that Ultrasonex with ultrasound was 200 % more effective in removing nighttime plaque, 230% more effective in treating gingivitis, and 450% more effective in reducing bleeding gums.

Another distinctive property a modern toothbrush has rounded bristles. For many years, dentists recommended straight, standard toothbrushes only because they lacked the technology to round every hair. Round bristles are the least traumatic for oral tissues. Modern methods production allows you to create the most toothbrushes various forms, sizes and models.

Design and marketing thought has not left a single centimeter of this tool untouched, starting from the comfortable, non-slip handle, bent, floating, etc. heads to bristles of various shapes and functional purposes.

For example, Glen Heavenor, a dentist from Glasgow, invents ergonomic handles in his spare time. He already has handles for frying pans, combs, garden tools and an adjustable wrench, a baby stroller and a safety razor. But the dream of a dentist has always been, of course, the ideal handle for a toothbrush. According to Glen, we brush our teeth incorrectly because we are simply not comfortable doing it ourselves. effective way. But no invention was as difficult for him as the toothbrush. The doctor was not afraid to be left without his main job, so he spent four years and a lot of his own savings on designing and testing an ergonomic brush. Now the prototype of the handle is finally ready, but needs further development. To encourage the dental designer, the National Group for Scientists, Inventors and Artists awarded him a grant of £75,000.

The most exotic toothbrush options:

Ionized brush, the action of which is based on the interaction of oppositely polar charges

Dentrust 3-sided brush with two heads, allowing you to brush your tooth on three sides at once

B-Fresh Toоthbrush w/ Toоthpaste - a toothbrush for travelers, combined with a tube of toothpaste for compactness

Concept brush with a disposable bristle head from Bould Design

O-zone toothbrush with a hole in the middle of the cleaning head for better rinsing

The research company Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) is studying public opinion commissioned by the legendary Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as part of the Lemelson-MIT Program. The last survey was conducted in the United States in November 2002. To evaluate the importance of the toothbrush for humanity, it was included in the list of vital inventions for humans. And who would have thought! The toothbrush has overtaken the car, the computer and the mobile phone.

All that remains is to erect a monument to the brush! Which, by the way, was done!
The monument to the toothbrush (“Paste, in a Cup, on a Sink: Portrait of Coosje’s Thinking”) was erected in 1983 in the German town of Krefeld. The author is engineer J. Robert Jennings. Dimensions 6 x 2.8 x 0.2 meters Material - steel and cast iron painted with polyurethane enamel.

Since ancient times, people began to take care of personal hygiene, including oral hygiene. After a series of examinations of dental remains almost two million years old, archaeologists established the fact that already at that time people used some kind of primitive toothbrushes, as evidenced by small curved pits on the teeth. The primitive brush was just a bunch of ordinary grass that people used to rub their teeth. After some time, the toothpicks showed a certain status of their owner. For example, in India or China, they were made from precious metals gold and bronze. An ordinary wooden stick, sharpened at one end and worn out at the other - that’s what the first toothbrush was.

It is also known that teeth are still brushed this way in some parts of the world. Take Africa, for example, where they make brushes from the branches of trees like Salvador or white elm. In the eighties of the twentieth century in Germany in the city of Krefeld, a monument to a toothbrush was erected.

Many years passed before an object similar to the modern toothbrush was made. In 1498, the Chinese began attaching a small bundle of wool taken from the backbone of a boar to a bamboo handle. The head with bristles was attached to the handle perpendicularly, and not parallel, as we are used to. Over time, new products from Asia began to arrive in other countries. For Europe, such an instrument was not immediately to their liking.

At first it was even indecent to use it, but from the middle of the 17th century, after the publication of a book by the French dentist Pierre Fauchard, which was called “Treatise on Teeth,” the brush began to win more and more fans. In his book, Fauchard harshly criticized the opinions that existed at that time that the cause of all diseases were certain dental worms. They identified more than 100 types of dental diseases; Fauchard was one of the first to develop a new, more humane procedure for tooth extraction. Pierre Fauchard is also the developer of false teeth, caps for teeth coated with porcelain enamel, pin teeth, and he was the first to use primitive brace systems. It was Fauchard who assured that brushing your teeth is necessary and should be done regularly and daily. But he was sure that the horsehair used in European countries when making bristles for brushes, it was not very tough for good teeth cleaning, pork bristles were hard and injured the enamel, but at that time the doctor could not do anything else to care for teeth and the oral cavity in general.

It was only in 1937 that a well-known chemical company from America invented the synthetic material nylon. The advantages of this material for toothbrushes can hardly be underestimated. Nylon dries much faster, thanks to this, bacteria do not multiply so quickly in such a brush. Around the same time, the first electric toothbrush was invented. A little later, the production of such brushes was put into production. Numerous experiments were then carried out. From 1963 to 1998 alone, over 3,000 models were invented and patented. There were many innovations, for example, there were brushes with a built-in timer, brushes that made it possible to replace the cleaning head, and reciprocating rotating brushes.

The bristles on toothbrushes began to be coated with a pigment that wore off after some time, thereby reminding its owners of the need to replace the brush. Progress does not stand still and today the pace of development is not slowing down. Before we had time to get used to electric brushes, an ultrasonic toothbrush had already been invented, capable of destroying almost all known bacteria even under the gum.

So, as we see, the history of the emergence of such a seemingly simple object as a toothbrush is quite rich and colorful in events.

In 1819, Parmley published a book called A Practical Guide to the Care of Teeth, which described a toothbrush, paste or powder, and waxed silk thread. The latter, in his opinion, was the most important element, because, as he wrote, it “removes food debris from the interdental spaces, which are the real source of the disease.”

In 1836, Parmley's work was continued by his colleague from New York, Shirjashab Spooner, who published the brochure “The Path to Healthy Teeth,” where he proposed the use of twisted silk thread containing pumice powder. But then this idea did not gain recognition: silk, thin and durable, was very expensive, and the cotton thread did not fit between the teeth and was torn.

First dental floss factory production (company Codman & Shurtleff) appeared only in 1882. Johnson & Johnson began truly mass production of silk dental floss in 1896. When, during the Second World War, Japan stopped supplying silk to the United States and Europe, a replacement was quickly found: a new material, nylon, recently developed by DuPont, was thinner, stronger, cheaper and produced in large quantities.

Despite the improvement of technology, the variety of materials and coatings, dental floss as a hygiene product did not become widespread until the 1990s. But its small thickness combined with high strength made it a very versatile tool. In 1988, three criminals escaped from a prison in New York by descending from the sixth floor using a cable made from dental floss.

A West Virginia inmate later traded enough dental floss for cigarettes to tie a rope and climb over a six-foot prison wall. And in 2002, an offender sentenced to two months in prison managed to saw through a barbed wire fence using floss and toothpaste as an abrasive and escape from a prison in Okanogan, Washington. But of course, it wasn't just criminals who used dental floss as a tool.

There is a known case where it was possible to save the life of an underwater hunter who suffered from a shark attack by making a tourniquet from dental floss to prevent blood loss before being taken to the hospital. And in 2002, Florida yachtsman Terry Watson, caught in a severe storm on his way to Europe, kept his yacht afloat for two months, including using dental floss to repair the sails. So it's no surprise that dental floss is now included in most survival kits: it can be useful for repairing equipment, making fishing tackle and snares, and for many other purposes. She can also brush her teeth.

Invented for oral care, dental floss can serve as a useful all-purpose tool in the most different areas life

Archaeologists have proven that Neanderthals took care of their teeth. After examining the remains of teeth, which are more than 1.8 million years old, archaeologists have established that the small curved dimples on them are nothing more than the result of the influence of a primitive brush. True, she imagined just a bunch of grass with which ancient people rubbed their teeth. Also used for oral hygiene were ash, powdered stones, crushed glass, wool soaked in honey, charcoal, gypsum, plant roots, resin, cocoa grains, salt and many natural ingredients.

In written sources Ancient Egypt there was mention of dental care and related products. According to the testimony of ancient chroniclers, about five thousand years ago, the Egyptians achieved pearly white teeth using powder from dry incense, myrrh, kau, branches of the mastic tree, ram's horn and raisins.
The first prototype of a toothbrush appeared in Egypt; the toothbrush was a stick with a chewed “broom” at one end and a pointed tip at the other. The sharp end was used to remove food fibers, the other was chewed with teeth and used to remove plaque from teeth. These “brushes” were made from special types of wood containing essential oils and known for their disinfecting properties.
Such “dental sticks”, about five thousand years old, are found in Egyptian tombs. In some corners of the Earth, such “primitive brushes” are still used - for example, in Africa they are made from branches of trees of the Salvador genus, and in some American states the indigenous population uses branches of white elm. The first purpose-made gold toothpick was discovered in Sumer and dated to 3000 BC. e. An ancient Assyrian medical text described the procedure of cleaning teeth with the index finger wrapped in a cloth. Already in the second millennium BC. e. Tooth powder was used, made from pumice with the addition of natural acids - wine vinegar or tartaric acid.
The credit for further improvement of toothpaste itself belongs to two great civilizations in human history - the ancient Greeks and Romans, because it was the Mediterranean states that became the cradle of medicine.
Over time, toothpicks became not just a hygiene item, but also an indicator of the status of their owner - in Ancient India, China, Japan they were made of gold and bronze.
Relatively regular oral hygiene practices have been known since Ancient Greece. Aristotle's student Theophrastus (died 287 BC) testified that the Greeks considered it a virtue to have white teeth and to brush them frequently. In the letters of the Greek philosopher Alciphron, who lived in the 2nd century BC. e., there is a mention of a hygiene product common at that time - a toothpick.
The first toothpaste recipes date back to 1500 BC. The famous healer Hippocrates (460-377 BC) made the first description of dental diseases and recommended the use of toothpastes. In the second millennium BC. e. already used tooth powder made from pumice with the addition of natural acids - wine vinegar or tartaric acid.
However, regular oral care did not become widespread until Greece became a province of Rome. Under Roman influence, the Greeks learned to use materials such as talc, pumice, gypsum, coral and corundum powder, and iron rust to clean teeth. Diocles of Karysto, an Athenian physician and contemporary of Aristotle, warned: “Every morning you should wipe your gums and teeth with your bare fingers, then rub mint inside and outside your teeth to remove any remaining pieces of food.”
Body hygiene and oral hygiene in particular occupied a significant place in the life of the Romans. Its necessity was defended by the Roman physician Celsius. A recipe has been preserved for removing and preventing the formation of “black spots on teeth”: brush your teeth with a mixture of crushed rose petals, tannins and myrrh, and then rinse your mouth with young wine.
Teeth cleaning powders with a large number of components were widely used. The bones included in their composition as a basis, eggshell, oyster shells were burned, carefully crushed, and sometimes mixed with honey. The astringent components were myrrh and saltpeter, which simultaneously had a strengthening effect on the gums and teeth. The substance "nitrum" was mentioned - probably sodium or potassium carbonate.
Guests invited to dinner were given not only spoons and knives, but also ornate metal toothpicks, often made of gold, which guests could even take home with them. A toothpick was to be used at every change of dishes. The ancient Greeks and Romans made toothpicks from wood, bronze, silver, gold, ivory and goose feathers in the form of thin sticks.
The early Middle Ages brought the first evidence of professional cleaning of the oral cavity: the Greek Paul of Aegina (605-690) proposed removing tartar using a chisel or other tools. He also wrote about the need to maintain oral hygiene, in particular brushing teeth, after eating, emphasizing that different food, sticking to the teeth, leaves plaque.

The concept of oral hygiene was introduced into the Arab world by the Prophet Mohammed (born in Mecca in 570 BC), introducing it into the Muslim religion. Among other requirements, the Koran requires rinsing the mouth three times before prayer (that is, 15 times a day). The Arabs cleaned their teeth according to the established ritual with the help of miswak - a stick made of fragrant wood with a split end like a brush and a chital toothpick - made from the stem of an umbrella plant, and also from time to time they rubbed their teeth and gums with rose oil, myrrh, alum, and honey. The twig was soaked in clean water for about 24 hours until the fibers began to separate. The bark was removed, revealing a hard fiber that was quite flexible and easily split.

The history of the development of oral care products after the fall of the Roman Empire is almost unknown until 1000 AD, which is when oral care instructions found during excavations in Persia date back. These guidelines warned against the use of too harsh tooth powders and recommended the use of antler powder, crushed snail and clam shells, and calcined plaster. Other Persian recipes included compositions of various dried animal parts, herbs, honey, minerals, aromatic oil and etc.
In the Middle Ages, dental elixirs became fashionable in Europe; they were made by doctors and monks, and the recipe was kept secret.

In 1363, the work of Guy de Chauliac (1300-1368) “The Beginnings of the Art of Surgical Medicine” appeared, which in 1592 was translated into French and was widely used by medical practitioners, becoming the main work on surgery of the time. The author divided dental treatment into two types: universal and individual.
The biggest success was the tooth elixir. It was invented in 1373, but at the beginning of the twentieth century it was still sold in pharmacies.
Chauliac's successor Giovanni do Vigo (1460-1525), author of the treatise "Complete Practice in the Art of Surgery", recognized that healthy teeth have a beneficial effect on mental and physical health person. To prevent tooth decay, he prescribed mixtures of pomegranate, wild olive and other plants for rinsing, and recommended regular removal of tartar. The Italian doctor Chigovani Arcoli (d. 1484) widely promoted the 10 rules he described for dental care, including after meals. In the 15th century in England, barbers who also practiced surgery used various metal instruments and solutions based on nitric acid to remove tartar (it is worth noting that the use of nitric acid for these purposes was stopped only in the 18th century).
The first toothbrush like modern ones, made from pig bristles, appeared in China on June 28, 1497. What exactly did the Chinese invent? A compound brush with pig bristles attached to a bamboo stick.
At times, however, other materials came into fashion, for example, badger hair.
Gradually, the Asian “new product” began to be “exported” to other countries of the world, and the fashion for brushing teeth reached Russia.
In Russia in the 16th century, similar “tooth brooms” were known, consisting of a wooden stick and a broom made of pork bristles - already under Ivan the Terrible, the boyars took out a “tooth broom” - a wooden stick with a tuft of bristles - from the pocket of their caftan at the end of a stormy feast. These inventions were brought to Russia from Europe, where panicles made of horse hair, badger bristles, etc. were also used with pork whisks.
Under Peter I, the royal decree ordered that the brush be replaced with a cloth and a pinch of crushed chalk. In the villages, teeth were still rubbed with birch charcoal, which perfectly whitened teeth.
Residents of the Japanese islands were introduced to a toothbrush and a tongue-cleaning twig by Buddhist priests, whose religion requires cleaning their teeth and tongue every morning before prayer.
The Japanese “Samurai Code” ordered all warriors to brush their teeth after eating with soaked twigs of bushes. During the Tokugawa (Edo) period (1603-1867), toothbrushes were made from willow twigs, separated into fine fibers and specially processed. The brushes were of a certain length and flat in shape, so that they could be used as a tongue scraper.
Toothbrushes for women were smaller in size and softer to preserve the black coloring of their teeth (women painting their teeth black was in accordance with ancient tradition). A polishing paste made from a mixture of earth and salt, scented with musk, was applied to the tip of the twig moistened with water.
Toothpicks, similar to modern ones, were made by hand in Japan and sold along with brushes and powders, which appeared on the market as early as 1634. Colorful display cases invited customers to special stores where all dental care items were sold. TO early XIX century, the number of such stores has increased sharply. There were more than two hundred of them on the street leading to the main Edo temple alone.


In 1530, the first book entirely devoted to dentistry was published in Leipzig. It was written in German, not Latin, and was addressed to barbers and surgeons.
The famous 16th century surgeon Ambroise Paré recommended careful oral hygiene: remove all food debris from the teeth immediately after eating; it is necessary to remove tartar, as it acts on teeth like rust on iron; After removing stones from the teeth, the mouth should be rinsed with alcohol or a weak solution of nitric acid. To whiten teeth, weak solutions of nitric acid were most often used.
English sources from the 16th century describe various means To care for the oral cavity, wiping teeth with fingers and a cloth and using toothpicks were widely recommended. Toothpicks were imported from France, Spain, Portugal, were considered very fashionable and were included in the list of items required for the queen. The respect for these hygiene items is evidenced by the reverent report that in 1570, Queen Elizabeth of England received six gold toothpicks as a gift.
Professional removal of dental plaque remained the job of barbers. Cintio d'Amato in his book “New and useful methods for all diligent barbers” noted: “This mainly happens due to the vapors rising from the stomach, as a result of which deposits form on the teeth, which can be removed with a rough cloth when you wake up in the morning. Therefore, one should scrape and brush the teeth every morning because if one does not know about it or does not think it is important, and the teeth become discolored and covered with a thick layer of tartar, it will cause them to decay and fall out. It is therefore necessary that a diligent barber remove the stones in question with a special instrument designed for this purpose.”
In the 17th century, Europeans enthusiastically brushed their teeth with salt, which was later replaced by chalk. The indescribable surprise of the Dutchman A. Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723), who designed the microscope, is known to have discovered microorganisms in the plaque on his own teeth, “despite the fact that they were regularly cleaned with salt.”
The first scientifically based presentation of material on oral hygiene belongs to Pierre Fauchard, who criticized the then prevailing opinion that the cause of dental diseases were some mysterious “tooth worms.” He identified 102 types of dental diseases. Fauchard argued that teeth must be brushed every day.
The first mention of toothbrushes in European literature dates back to 1675. It is believed that the first manufacturer of toothbrushes was the Addis company (1780) in London. She used natural bristles for these purposes. In 1840, brushes began to be produced in France and Germany.
Tooth powder and then toothpaste, the closest to modern ones, first appeared at the end of the 18th century in Great Britain.

In the 19th century, most dentifrices remained in powder form, sold in special small paper bags. Now its goal was not only to remove plaque, but also to at the same time give freshness to the breath, for which various natural additives were mainly used, such as strawberry extract. To make these products more palatable, glycerin was added to tooth powders.
IN Western Europe and Russia, chalk-based tooth powders were widely used. The first tooth powders were made in pharmacies according to special recipes, then their industrial production was established. The basis of these powders was chalk and magnesium carbonate. Finely ground leaves or fruits were added to the powders medicinal plants(cinnamon, sage, violet, etc.). Later these additives were replaced by various essential oils.

In the second half of the 19th century, work began on the creation of toothpastes. The finest chalk powder was evenly distributed in the jelly-like mass. At first, starch was used as a binder, from which aqueous solution glycerin, a special paste was prepared. Later starch was replaced sodium salt organic acid that stabilizes the chalk suspension.
In 1873, Colgate introduced a flavored “liquefied” powder-paste in a glass jar to the American market, but consumers did not immediately accept the new product due to the inconvenience of packaging.
At the end of the 19th century, it became clear that tooth bristles needed revolutionary new material, when the eminent French microbiologist Louis Pasteur hypothesized that the cause of many dental diseases are microbes and viruses. And where is it most comfortable for them to reproduce, if not in the moist environment of the natural bristles of toothbrushes? As an option, dentists suggested boiling toothbrushes daily, thereby disinfecting them, but this procedure quickly wore out the bristles and made the brush unusable.
In 1892, dentist Washington Sheffield invented the toothpaste tube. In 1894, a pump-fed tube was developed much like the ones we use today. In 1896, Mr. Colgate began producing toothpastes in tubes using his own technology, thanks to which both the tube and this paste received universal recognition in America and Europe. With the introduction of packaging in a tube, toothpaste has become a basic necessity for people.
Since the end of the 19th century, the world began to switch to toothpastes in tubes. In most countries of the world, they came into use in the 30s of the 20th century and gradually began to replace tooth powders, since they had undeniable advantages - compactness, portability, plasticity, and better taste properties.
In 1915, extracts from some trees growing in the region began to be included in the composition of the products. South-East Asia, for example, eucalyptus. “Natural” toothpastes containing mint, strawberry and other plant extracts are also used.
In 1937, specialists from the American chemical company Du Pont invented nylon, a synthetic material whose appearance marked the beginning of a new era in the development of toothbrushes. The advantages of nylon over bristles or horsehair are obvious: it is lightweight, quite durable, elastic, moisture-resistant, and highly resistant to many chemicals.
Nylon bristles dried much faster, so bacteria did not multiply as quickly. True, nylon scratched gums and teeth quite a lot, but after some time Du Pont managed to fix this by synthesizing “soft” nylon, which dentists vied with each other to praise their patients.
The end of the 30s of the 20th century was marked by another important event in the world of oral hygiene - the first electric toothbrush appeared. So, back at the end of the 19th century, a certain Doctor Scott (George A. Scott) invented electric brush and even patented it in the American Patent Office. However, unlike modern devices, that brush “beat” a person with an electric current during use. According to the inventor, electricity could have a “beneficial” effect on dental health.
A more humane toothbrush, powered by an electric network, was created in 1939 in Switzerland, but production and sales began only in 1960, when the American pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb released a toothbrush called Broxodent. It was planned that it would be used by people who have problems with fine motor skills, or those whose teeth have non-removable structures (braces).

In 1987, the antibacterial component triclosan began to be included in toothpastes.

The USSR lingered in the era of tooth powder for almost three-quarters of a century; the first Soviet toothpaste in a tube was released only in 1950. Before this, pastes were sold in tin, and later in plastic jars. True, even in this package, toothpaste appeared on store shelves quite rarely; the undisputed leader in sales was tooth powder, which became so firmly established in the life of Soviet people that it penetrated into areas unusual for its intended purpose. In home economics books of the time, you will find tips on using tooth powder to clean windows, clean canvas shoes, or shine metal utensils. The powder went away following the fashion for canvas. Consumers enthusiastically accepted the new product - a foamy and fragrant toothpaste.
In 1961, General Electrics introduced its version of the electric toothbrush, designed for use by all people without exception. Unlike older models, this safer toothbrush did not work from the mains, but was powered by a built-in battery.

Healthy teeth This beautiful smile, a beautiful smile is always a pleasant communication.
A smile costs nothing, but is highly valued... D. Carnegie