History of the toothbrush. The history of the toothbrush Where did the first toothbrushes come from?

Project on the topic: The history of the toothbrush: from antiquity to the present day Pupils of the 2B grade of the Stavrov secondary school Anastasia Likhacheva

The purpose of the work is to find out when the toothbrush appeared. To find out how people brushed their teeth in ancient times. Learn the basic rules of dental care.

Every morning we run to brush our teeth. It would seem that a toothbrush is the most common thing in the world. And in 2003, it was the toothbrush that was named the greatest invention of mankind, even more important than a car or a computer.

The first semblance of a toothbrush was used by ancient people. It was a tuft of grass with which they rubbed their teeth. This is evidenced by marks on the teeth found during excavations. We can assume that the history of the toothbrush began with this.

In ancient Egypt, they used a wooden stick. One end of it was chewed, removing plaque. The second pointed tip was used as a toothpick. And the Romans even kept special slaves for such a difficult task as brushing their teeth. It was 3500 BC

The appearance of the first toothbrush, similar to the modern one, falls on June 1498. In China, they came up with the idea of ​​​​attaching a small amount of boar bristles to a bamboo handle. The bristles were chosen the hardest and most durable - from the neck of the animal.

When the toothbrush arrived in Europe, it appearance the Europeans didn’t like it very much and they replaced the bristles with horsehair, and the handles were made of gold, silver, tin, and later plastic.

The toothbrush "came" to Russia under Tsar Peter I. At that time, they brushed their teeth with a “dental broom” - a stick at the end of which hard bristles were attached. Later, by royal decree, it was ordered to brush your teeth with a cloth and crushed chalk. And in the villages, people brushed their teeth with birch charcoal, which perfectly whitened their teeth.

Later it was proved that bacteria live and multiply in the natural bristles of a toothbrush, which makes the procedure of brushing your teeth not at all useful, and even dangerous. The first artificial bristle toothbrush was released on February 24, 1938. These brushes have become more durable and safer.

I conducted a survey of students of the second grades of our school. The children were asked to answer the following questions: How many times a day do you brush your teeth? What toothbrush do you use? Conventional or electric 3. Why brush your teeth? Only 73 people took part in the survey: 24 students of grade 2A, 25 students of grade 2B, 24 students of grade 2B. Consider the poll results.

How many times a day do you brush your teeth?

What toothbrush do you use?

When asked why they should brush their teeth, the guys answered: To make the teeth white; So that the teeth do not hurt; To avoid going to the dentist; To prevent teeth from falling out; To be what is; To keep your breath fresh To destroy microbes. It's all right! We brush our teeth to keep them healthy. After all, the health of the whole organism depends on it. So what are the basic rules for dental care?

REMEMBER!!! IT IS IMPORTANT!!!

Archaeologists have proven that Neanderthals looked after 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 impact of a primitive brush. True, she represented only a bunch of grass with which ancient people rubbed their teeth. Also, for oral hygiene, they used ash, powdered stones, crushed glass, wool soaked in honey, charcoal, gypsum, plant roots, resin, cocoa beans, salt and many natural ingredients.

In the written sources of Ancient Egypt there were mentions of dental care and related products. According to the testimony of ancient chroniclers, about five thousand years ago, the Egyptians achieved pearl whiteness of teeth using powder from dry incense, myrrh, kau, mastic tree branches, ram's horn and raisins.
In Egypt, the first prototype of a toothbrush appeared, a toothbrush was a stick with a chewed "broom" on one end and a pointed tip on the other. The sharp end was used to remove food fibers, the other was chewed with teeth and used to remove plaque from the teeth. They made such “brushes” from special types of wood containing essential oils and known for their disinfectant properties.
Such "tooth sticks" about five thousand years old are found in Egyptian tombs. In some parts of the Earth, such “primitive brushes” are still used - for example, in Africa they are made from twigs of trees of the Salvador genus, and in some American states, the indigenous population uses twigs of white elm. The first specially made gold toothpick was discovered in Sumer and dated to 3000 BC. e. An ancient Assyrian medical text described the procedure for brushing teeth with a cloth-wrapped forefinger. Already in the second millennium BC. e. used tooth powder made from pumice stone with the addition of natural acids - wine vinegar or tartaric acid.
The merit of further improvement of toothpaste itself belongs to two great civilizations in the history of mankind - the ancient Greeks and Romans, because it was the states of the Mediterranean 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, and Japan they were made of gold and bronze.
The relatively regular practice of oral hygiene has been known since ancient Greece. A student of Aristotle, Theophrastus (died 287 BC), testified that the Greeks considered it a virtue to have white teeth and brush them often. In the letters of the Greek philosopher Altsifron, who lived in the II century BC. e., there is a mention of a common at that time means of hygiene - a toothpick.
The first recipes for toothpaste 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.
Yet 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 their teeth. Diocles of Carist, an Athenian physician and contemporary of Aristotle, warned: “Every morning you should wipe your gums and teeth with bare fingers, then rub mint inside and out on your teeth to remove, thus, the 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 to remove and prevent the formation of "black spots on the teeth": brush your teeth with a mixture of crushed rose petals, tannin and myrrh, and then rinse your mouth with young wine.
Dentifrice powders with a large number of components have been widely used. The bones, eggshells, and oyster shells included in their composition were burned, carefully crushed, and sometimes mixed with honey. The astringent components were myrrh, 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 richly decorated metal toothpicks, often made of gold, which guests could even take home with them. A toothpick was to be used at every meal change. The ancient Greeks and Romans made toothpicks from wood, bronze, silver, gold, ivory and goose feather in the form of thin sticks.
The era of 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 with a chisel or other tools. He also wrote about the need to observe oral hygiene, in particular brushing your teeth, after eating, emphasizing that different foods, sticking to the teeth, leave plaque.

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

The history of the development of oral care products after the fall of the Roman Empire is almost unknown until 1000 AD, and it is from this period that oral care instructions found during excavations in Persia date back. These guidelines warned against the use of too hard tooth powders and recommended the use of antler powder, crushed snail and shellfish shells, and fired plaster. Other Persian recipes included formulations of various dried animal parts, herbs, honey, minerals, aromatic oils, and more.
In the Middle Ages in Europe, dental elixirs came into fashion, which were made by healers 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 widely used by practicing physicians, becoming the main work on surgery of that time. The author divided dental treatment into two types: universal and individual.
Most big success fell to the share of dental elixir. It was invented in 1373, but it was still sold in pharmacies at the beginning of the twentieth century.
Choliac'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 the mental and physical health of a person. To prevent tooth decay, he prescribed mixtures of pomegranate, wild olive and other plants for rinsing, recommended regular removal of tartar. The Italian physician Chigovani Arcoli (d. 1484) widely promoted the 10 rules he described for caring for teeth, including after meals. In the 15th century in England, barbers, who also worked in 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 this purpose was stopped only in the 18th century).
The first toothbrush similar to modern ones, made of pig bristles, appeared in China on June 28, 1497. What exactly did the Chinese invent? A composite brush, where pig bristles were attached to a bamboo stick.
At times, however, other materials came into fashion, such as badger hair.
Gradually, the Asian “novelty” began to be “exported” to other countries of the world, and the fashion for brushing your teeth reached Russia.
In Russia in the 16th century, similar “dental brooms” were known, consisting of a wooden stick and a panicle of pig bristles - already under Ivan the Terrible boyars, at the end of a stormy feast, a “tooth broom” was taken out of a caftan pocket - a wooden stick with a bundle of bristles. These inventions were brought to Russia from Europe, where horsehair panicles, badger bristles, etc. were used with pig panicles.
Under Peter I, the royal decree ordered to replace the brush with a rag and a pinch of crushed chalk. In the villages, as before, the teeth were rubbed with birch charcoal, which perfectly whitened the teeth.
The inhabitants of the Japanese islands were introduced to the toothbrush and twig for cleaning the tongue 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 branches of bushes. During the Tokugawa (Edo) period (1603-1867), toothbrushes were made from willow twigs, divided into fine fibers and specially processed. The brushes had a certain length and flat shape, so that they could be used as a tongue scraper.
Toothbrushes for women were smaller and softer in order to preserve the black coloration of their teeth (staining black teeth by women was an ancient tradition). A polishing paste made from a mixture of earth and salt, scented with musk, was applied to the tip of a twig moistened with water.
Toothpicks like today's were hand-crafted in Japan and sold alongside brushes and powders that had been on the market as early as 1634. Colorful display cases beckoned shoppers to specialty shops selling all kinds of dental care items. By the beginning of the 19th century, the number of such stores increased dramatically. Only on the street leading to the main temple of Edo, there were more than two hundred of them.


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 Pare recommended meticulous oral hygiene: remove any food debris from the teeth immediately after eating; it is necessary to remove tartar, as it acts on the 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 of the 16th century describe various means for oral care, rubbing the teeth with fingers and cloth, and the use of toothpicks were widely recommended. Toothpicks were imported from France, Spain, Portugal, were considered very fashionable and were included in the list of items needed for the queen. The reverence for these hygiene items is evidenced by the reverent report that in 1570 Queen Elizabeth of England received six golden toothpicks as a gift.
Professional removal of dental deposits remained the work of barbers. Cinthio d'Amato, in his 1632 book New and Useful Methods for All Diligent Barbers, noted: when you wake up in the morning. Thus, one should scrape and brush the teeth every morning, because if one does not know about it or does not consider it important, and the teeth become discolored and covered with a thick layer of calculus, this will cause them to decay and fall out. Therefore, it is necessary that the diligent barber should remove the stones in question with a special tool designed for this purpose.
In the 17th century, Europeans enthusiastically brushed their teeth with salt, which was later replaced by chalk. The unspeakable surprise of the Dutchman A. Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723), who designed the microscope, is known to have discovered microorganisms in plaque on his own teeth, “despite the fact that they were regularly cleaned with salt.”
The first scientifically substantiated presentation of the material on oral hygiene belongs to Pierre Fauchard, who criticized the then prevailing opinion that some mysterious “toothworms” were the cause of dental diseases. 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 Addis firm (1780) in London was the first manufacturer of toothbrushes. She used natural bristles for these purposes. In 1840, brushes began to be made in France and Germany.
Tooth powder, and then toothpaste, most similar 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 his goal was not only to remove plaque, but at the same time to give freshness to the breath, for which various natural additives, such as strawberry extract, were mainly used. To make these products more palatable, glycerin has been added to tooth powders.
AT 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, violets, etc.). Later, these additives were replaced by various essential oils.

Since 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. First, starch was used as a binder, from which a special paste was prepared on an aqueous solution of glycerin. Later, the starch was replaced with a sodium salt of an organic acid, which stabilized the chalk suspension.
In 1873, Colgate introduced a flavored "thinned" powder-paste in a glass jar to the American market, but the novelty was not immediately accepted by consumers due to the inconvenience of packaging.
At the end of the 19th century, it became clear that a revolutionary new material was needed for tooth bristles, when the eminent French microbiologist Louis Pasteur hypothesized that microbes and viruses were the cause of many dental diseases. And where is it most comfortable for them to breed, if not in the humid environment of natural toothbrush bristles? Alternatively, dentists suggested boiling toothbrushes daily, thereby disinfecting them, but this procedure quickly wore out the bristles and the brush became unusable.
In 1892, dentist Washington Sheffield invented the toothpaste tube. In 1894, a pump-fed tube was developed, very similar to those we use today. In 1896, Mr. Colgate began to produce toothpastes in tubes according to his own technology, thanks to which both the tube and this paste gained universal recognition in America and Europe. With the introduction of packaging in a tube, toothpaste has become an essential item for a person.
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 XX century and gradually began to replace toothpowders, since they had indisputable advantages - compactness, portability, plasticity, better taste properties.
In 1915, extracts from some trees growing in Southeast Asia, such as eucalyptus, began to be introduced into the composition of the funds. Also, "natural" toothpastes containing mint, strawberries and other plant extracts are used.
In 1937, the American chemical company Du Pont invented nylon - a synthetic material, the appearance of which marked the beginning of a new era in the development of toothbrushes. The advantages of nylon over bristles or horsehair are obvious: it is light, strong enough, elastic, moisture resistant, and highly resistant to many chemicals.
The nylon bristles dried much faster, so the bacteria in it did not multiply as quickly. True, nylon scratched the gums and teeth quite badly, but after some time, Du Pont managed to fix this by synthesizing “soft” nylon, which dentists vied with each other to praise to their patients.
The end of the 30s of the XX century was marked by another important event in the world of oral hygiene - the first electric toothbrush appeared. So, at the end of the 19th century, a certain Dr. Scott (George A. Scott) invented an electric brush and even patented it in the American Patent Office. However, unlike modern devices, that brush “beat” a person with a current during use. According to the inventor, electricity could have a “beneficial” effect on dental health.
A more humane electric toothbrush was created in 1939 in Switzerland, but it was not until 1960 that the American pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb launched a toothbrush called Broxodent to start production and sales. 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 (bracket systems).

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

For nearly three quarters of a century, the USSR lingered in the era of tooth powder, the first Soviet paste in a tube was released only in 1950. Prior to this, pastes were sold in tin, and later in plastic jars. True, even in this package, toothpaste rarely appeared on store shelves, the undisputed leader in sales was toothpowder, which entered the life of a Soviet person so firmly that it penetrated into areas unusual for its intended purpose. In home economics books of the time, you'll find advice on using toothpaste to clean windows, clean canvas shoes, or polish metal utensils. The powder departed following the fashion for canvas. Consumers enthusiastically accepted the novelty - 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 run on the mains, but was powered by a built-in battery.

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

I had a toothache in my heart. This is the worst pain, and in this case, lead filling and tooth powder, invented by Berthold Schwartz, work well. The German romantic poet Heinrich Heine was by no means the only one who compared the most severe suffering and in this case we are talking about love with a toothache, exhausting and sometimes unbearable.

Nowadays, even young children know that their teeth need to be carefully taken care of and treated in time, and in order for them to remain healthy for as long as possible, they should be regularly cleaned using properly selected brushes and pastes. Most of the inhabitants of the Earth follow these rules and brush their teeth at least once a day. People began to use medical and cosmetic oral care products in ancient times, but the history of modern hygienic supplies began relatively recently.

The first mention of dental care products refers to the civilization of Ancient Egypt. In a manuscript dating from the 4th millennium BC. BC, a recipe is given, according to which ingredients such as the ashes of the insides of a bull, myrrh, pounded eggshells and pumice should be mixed. The method of application of the mixture, unfortunately, is not indicated, but scientists believe that it was applied to the teeth or rubbed into the gums with the fingers, since there is no reason to think that toothbrushes had already been invented at that time. And yet, the first similarities of this instrument appeared in Egypt, although later. They were sticks with a small fan on one side and a pointed tip on the other.

Great importance was attached to oral care by Gautama Buddha, who not only shared his religious and philosophical ideas with his followers, but also paid due attention to various practical aspects. Everyday life. His daily hygienic ritual included the use of a kind of "dental stick" and he strongly recommended it to his students. In India and China, in addition to wooden sticks split at the ends like a brush, metal toothpicks, tongue scrapers, and powders from crushed shells, horns and hooves of animals, gypsum and crushed minerals were widely used as cleaning agents.

The ancient Greeks and Romans were well aware of what a toothache is. Evidence of this is found by archaeologists tools for removing teeth, as well as skulls with loose teeth, successfully strengthened with gold wire. Antique healers also thought about means of prevention, which suggested, for example, rubbing the ashes of burnt animals into the teeth and gums, rinsing the teeth with turtle blood, or even wearing wolf bone necklaces. In addition, powdered stones, crushed glass, wool soaked in honey, and other exotic ingredients were used.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, Europe put the idea of ​​dental care out of their heads for a long time, but Arab dentists picked up the baton. Following the Qur'an's prescription to brush their teeth several times a day, Muslims used sticks made from fragrant wood with a split end and toothpicks made from stems of the umbrella tree. From time to time, the Arabs also rubbed their teeth and gums with rose oil, honey, myrrh, or alum.

However, it must be said that all such products had a purpose not so much hygienic as cosmetic. It was widely believed that teeth should be white and shiny. And of course, the remains of food stuck between the teeth did not fit into the canons of beauty in any way. Much attention was paid to the freshness of breath.

In ancient Rome, for this purpose, it was recommended to use goat's milk or white wine for rinsing. They eliminated bad breath with incense, rubbing them into the gums. In the Middle Ages, dental elixirs became widespread. The best of them, invented by the Benedictine monks in 1373, was sold until the beginning of the 20th century, and its composition was kept in the strictest confidence.

Of course, often the means used to whiten teeth also acted as hygiene products. Abrasive substances removed plaque, essential oils and other active ingredients had a certain disinfecting effect. But coarse powders, quickly whitening teeth, easily spoiled the enamel, which contributed to the development of caries, stomatitis and other dental ailments. Perhaps this explains the fact that many wealthy people had much less healthy teeth with age than peasants who did not particularly care about the whiteness of their smile. However, with a full set of teeth, very few people lived to old age.

The first to think about the need for daily hygienic brushing of teeth was the Dutch researcher-naturalist, the inventor of the microscope, Anthony van Leeuwenhoek. It is difficult to say for what purpose he once decided to put a wash from his own teeth under the glass of his device. The result unpleasantly surprised the researcher: the preparation was teeming with the smallest creatures of microbes, the honor of discovery of which also belongs to Leeuwenhoek. The scientist wiped his teeth with a cloth of salt and again prepared a flush. There were no microbes under the microscope lens. Impressed by the experience, Leeuwenhoek began to brush his teeth with salt daily and recommended this in his works. And although the taste of salt cannot be called too pleasant, the scientist could not complain about his method, because he lived for 91 years, and his teeth were preserved in excellent condition.

Gradually, the procedure for cleaning the teeth became more common, although salt as a cleaning agent did not stand up to criticism. Only at the end of the 18th century, more than a hundred years after the discovery of Leeuwenhoek, did they begin to produce tooth powder based on crushed chalk. The poor applied the powder to their teeth with a finger or cloth, while the wealthy used toothbrushes.

I. Vercollier. Portrait of A. van Leeuwenhoek. Around 1680

Toothbrush, toothpowder box and tongue scraper. 18th century

The oldest in Europe is considered to be a brush found during excavations at the site of a former hospital in the German city of Minden. The age of the find is estimated at 250 years. Pork bristles are fixed on the bone of an animal about 10 cm long. Several similar brushes were found in the vicinity, so the scientists suggested that a workshop for the production of brushes operated here.

The rapid spread of brushes and the popularization of the procedure for brushing your teeth was also facilitated by the fact that by the end of the 18th century. Europeans began to eat sugar. As you know, refined sugar is one of the worst enemies of tooth enamel. Doctors sounded the alarm, and, not wanting to give up sweets, the inhabitants of Europe learned to carefully monitor the condition of their teeth.

In the dentist's office. Massachusetts, USA. 1917

Toothpastes similar to modern ones appeared almost simultaneously with tooth powder, but at first they were not widely used. The powder was easier to manufacture and more familiar. To make it more pleasant to use, and the breath after brushing your teeth became fresh, for example, strawberry extract or essential oils, as well as glycerin, were added to the powder. However, cosmetics companies have not abandoned the idea of ​​paste, as if they did not trust powders. And not in vain: in the 1920s, it was proved that chalk, being an abrasive substance, can cause stomatitis. Since that time, under the influence of dentists, powders began to be forced out of the market.

The composition of the toothpaste still included chalk, but it was crushed into powder and mixed with the base in the form of a suspension. Initially, starch paste in an aqueous solution of glycerin was used as a binder. Gradually, it was replaced by sodium salts of organic acids, which stabilized the suspension of chalk. The first toothpastes were not in great demand, and this was primarily due to inconvenient packaging. So, the Colgate company failed, in 1873, releasing a paste in a glass jar. And only more than two decades later, when the dentist Washington Sheffield suggested filling tin tubes with paste, Colgate presented its products in a compact, convenient and safe package that immediately attracted customers. In a short time, toothpaste has become an essential item.

Colgate building.

For a long time, soap was one of the main components of toothpaste, but its use in the oral cavity has had numerous side effects. With the development of the chemical industry, modern synthetic ingredients appeared in the composition of pastes, such as lauryl sulfate or sodium ricinoleate. To freshen the breath, perfumes are added to the pastes, such as extracts of eucalyptus, mint or strawberries, and tannins are added to prevent bleeding gums and loosening of teeth. But a particularly important discovery of the XX century. in the field of oral hygiene, it is considered the introduction of fluorine compounds into the composition of therapeutic pastes, which strengthen the enamel. Procter & Gamble introduced the first fluoride toothpaste with anti-caries action in 1956.

Production technologies and the composition of toothpastes are constantly being improved. Currently, there are many varieties of therapeutic pastes containing calcium, antibacterial components, remineralizing and anti-inflammatory supplements. The main concern of the ancient Egyptians is the whitening of teeth. For this purpose, highly abrasive toothpastes are produced, however, dentists strongly recommend not to get carried away with whitening, so as not to damage the tooth enamel.

The production of toothbrushes is no less actively developing. Currently, they are made mainly from synthetic materials. Unlike many other products, a brush made from natural materials loses to a polymer one: synthetic bristles are softer and safer for teeth, and much less microbes accumulate on it. Manufacturers pay great attention to improving the design of their products, making new changes that, according to advertising, improve the quality of cleaning teeth to an incredible degree. In the early 1960s, the first electric brushes with reciprocating motion appeared, and in 1987 a rotating electric brush was put into production. However, dentists are reticent about these popular devices, as it is believed that they drive plaque under the gums and provoke the growth of tartar.

Oral hygiene in the XX century. acquired special significance. The need for daily brushing of teeth has become an axiom. A beautiful smile is obligatory element attractiveness as it was thousands of years ago, but now people are concerned not only with the whiteness of their teeth, but first of all with their health. And if reliable remedies for love pain have not yet been invented, then we may well be saved from toothache proper care and means of prevention.

Procter & Gamble company logo.

In the 1950s, Aquafresh developed an original tube that allows you to squeeze a wonderfully beautiful three-color paste onto your brush. Colored fillers are located in separate cavities of the tube and are fed into the neck through special holes.

If ancient people brushed their teeth, they did it with a finger or a crushed wooden chip. Initially, the finger was rubbed with a special powder, and the remnants of food stuck between the teeth were removed with a stick. At the end of the 15th century in China, the first toothbrush was invented and began to be mass-produced in its usual form. Its handle was made of wood, and stiff animal hair was used for bristles. In European countries, the first samples of toothbrushes appeared around the end of the 17th century. Animal bristles were used in the manufacture of toothbrushes until the beginning of the 20th century, and wood for handles even longer.

And only with the invention of plastics and artificial threads, the villi began to be made from synthetics - for example, from nylon, and handles from plastic. There were also attempts to use animal bones for pens, remember the famous firm of Ostap Bender - "Horns and Hooves". It was for toothbrushes that the artels bought horns, hooves and bristles.

I want to get a direct and clear answer to everything. For example, who invented the toothbrush, first name, last name, number (more precisely), country, and how was it? It wasn't there. Even in ancient times, people used toothpicks made of wood and bone to clean food from their teeth.

Already in Ancient Egypt there were toothpick sticks pointed at one end and fluffy at the other. The teeth were rubbed with this natural panicle, and special compounds were rubbed into the gums. In Babylon, Greece, Rome, oral hygiene was also quite developed, which included cleaning the teeth, chewing fibrous plants and rubbing the gums. In Arab countries, methods of chewing plants with disinfectant properties have long been known. In India, chewing sprigs of the neem tree are still sold today. Friction on the fibers of the twig cleans the teeth, while the juice disinfects and strengthens the teeth and gums. So chewing gum has a long history. About toothpaste written in Egyptian papyrus. It consisted of crushed and mixed salt, pepper, mint leaves and iris flowers.

But somehow the invention of the toothbrush recent times stubbornly attributed to the Chinese. Moreover, not only the year is called, but also a specific date - June 28, 1497. But what exactly did the Chinese invent? Apparently a composite brush, where pig bristles were attached to a bamboo stick. In Russia in the 16th century, similar "dental panicles" were also known, consisting of a wooden stick and a panicle of pig bristles. These inventions were brought to Russia from Europe, where horsehair panicles, badger bristles, etc. were used with pig panicles. And when the court dentist Pierre Fauchard instilled in Louis XV a love of brushing his teeth, toothbrushes became popular.

Pierre Fauchard. Louis XV

The production of cheap toothbrushes, of course, was established by the British in 1780 - William Addis. Again, of course, the first patent for a toothbrush was obtained by the American H. N. Wadsworth in 1850. The brush was hog bristle, and the trick of the patent was to secure the bristles well to the bone handle. By that time, they had learned to detect bacteria and it turned out that there was a cavity in the vaunted pig bristle and bacteria multiply perfectly there.

The real revolution came in 1938 when DuPont replaced animal bristles with synthetic nylon bristles and no bacteria incubator cavities. The first electric toothbrush was introduced in 1959. In the mid-90s, a toothbrush was proposed that cleans not only with bristles, but also with ultrasound.

In January 2003, Americans named the toothbrush the number one invention they could not live without. Car, computer, cell phone, microwave - rest. This is how expensive it is to treat teeth in the USA. There is also a monument to a toothbrush six meters high. It has been standing in the German city of Krefeld since 1983.