Where did the first toothbrush come from? Happy birthday, toothbrush! Non-standard use of a toothbrush in Russia

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 for some reason, the invention of the toothbrush has recently been 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.

Good afternoon, dear readers! We come across this hygiene item every day and more than once. Thanks to him, we have the pleasure of having beautiful healthy teeth and a beautiful smile. You probably already guessed what we are talking about? That's right, today we will talk about Her Majesty the Toothbrush.

Using this hygiene item all the time, most likely it never occurred to anyone to think about why and when it appeared. Did you know that June 25th is the birthday of the toothbrush? It turns out that there is such a holiday. True, you will not see it in all calendars, but it exists. And how old is the birthday girl, do you know? Now let's talk about this.

On June 25 this year, the toothbrush turned 516 years old. It was so many years ago that it appeared, remotely similar to our modern one. The very first of them were far from being similar to modern ones. These were sticks that had been soaked on one side.

The first toothbrushes appeared in China in 1498 and they were made from bamboo and Siberian boar bristles. Prior to that, they used special bamboo sticks with split ends to brush their teeth.

Of course, no toothpastes or powders existed in those ancient times. Scientists - archaeologists have found and proved that even at the dawn of human development, Neanderthals used something to clean their teeth. They found the remains of teeth, whose age is estimated at 1.8 million years, on the surface of which curved dimples remained and found that this is the result of friction.

It seems that our distant ancestors cleaned their teeth with a bunch of grass, ashes, stones, plant roots and other natural ingredients.

The ancient Egyptians, who lived 5 thousand years ago, mentioned in their writings that they achieved pearly teeth cleanliness with the help of dry incense, mastic tree branches, raisins, myrrh, and ram's horn. Even then, in Egypt, the first prototype of a toothbrush appeared, which is a sharp stick on one side. The sharp end removed the remnants of food between the teeth. On the other hand, the end was a chewed brush, which was used to remove plaque from the teeth.

For the manufacture of such sticks, tree species were used that contained various essential oils and had disinfecting properties. The most commonly used tree of the Salvador genus, it contains both soft and hard fibers in its structure, which ensures perfect cleaning of tooth enamel.

Toothbrushes in Russia

But what about us, in Russia? Charcoal was used for brushing teeth for a long time, which perfectly whitened teeth, no matter how paradoxical it sounds.

In the 16th century, during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, the boyars used "dental panicles" - wooden sticks with a boar bristle brush at the end. Bearded boyars at the end of stormy feasts took out such sticks and brushed their teeth with them. And they brought such “panicles” from Europe, where, in addition to sticks with pig bristles, they used horse and badger bristles.

Later, Peter I issued a decree, according to which it was ordered to replace coal with crushed chalk and brush your teeth with chalk.

Toothbrush application

Our Russian people, especially women, are original inventors. In addition to the traditional use of the brush, they have adapted to use it to solve many problems. See if you can use something similar.

Hair coloring. If you decide to dye your hair at home, and there is no special brush at hand, then you can use a toothbrush to evenly apply the dye.

Combing eyelashes. Sometimes when applying mascara, the cilia stick together. Use a fine-bristled brush to separate them.

Lip scrub. If a new brush of medium hardness walk gently over the skin of the lips, previously lubricated with olive oil, then you can remove the keratinized particles on the lips. Lips after such a “scrub” will become soft and bright.

Eyebrow styling. To make the eyebrows look well-groomed, the owners of thick and wide eyebrows comb them with a brush, having previously applied a little eyebrow styling gel to them.

Removing paint stains or stubborn self-tanner from hands . Mix lemon juice and soda and treat problem areas.

Softening the nail cuticle. Make a hand bath with sea salt, then brush the cuticle and nail plate with a toothbrush. Then apply balm or oil to the base of the nails.

Smoothing hair strands. Sometimes a strand is knocked out of a smooth hairstyle. Apply a small amount of hair gel to your toothbrush and work through your hair from the hairline to the crown of your head.

Probably, many people know other folk methods of application, it would be interesting to know, write about it in the comments.

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 difficult 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 hygiene items 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 of 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 the blood of a turtle, 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 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 “whitening” teeth. For this purpose, highly abrasive toothpastes are produced, but dentists strongly recommend not to get carried away with whitening, so as not to harm 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 an indispensable element of 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 proper care and preventive measures may well save us from toothache.

Procter & Gamble company logo.

In the 1950s, Aquafresh developed an original tube that allowed 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.

Maybe you've ever wondered how many times you can reinvent the toothbrush. Imagine that between 1963 and 1998, according to statistics, more than 3,000 toothbrush models were patented!
Our ancestors probably understood something about dental hygiene. Paleontologist Leslie Chlusko of the University of Illinois claims to have evidence of early humans using rudimentary toothpicks.

may be the result of erosion caused by repeated chafing of grass stems. Skeptics point out that modern toothpicks do not leave marks, but, according to Chlusko, the abrasive properties of grass are higher - because, unlike wood, it contains many hard silicon particles. Khlusko says that blades of grass would have left marks corresponding to the diameter of these pits - from one and a half millimeters to 2.6. Such blades of grass grew almost everywhere, and they practically did not need to be completed to turn them into a good toothpick.
It is believed that ancient hominins began to pick their teeth in an attempt to relieve the pain of dental disease. Chlusko experimented first with a baboon tooth, then with a human tooth, 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. Usually they were made of mastic wood, sometimes - of gold or bronze.

The inconspicuous but very important history of the toothbrush begins with chewing.

flax records, which were used by the inhabitants of Babylon many centuries before the birth of Christ. The ancient writers were very enthusiastic about brushing their teeth, and according to their testimonies, a simple chewing plate evolved into a chewing stick the size of a modern pencil. Fans of cleanliness and hygiene chewed one end to form a wider cleaning surface, the other was used as a toothpick. By the way, the Romans kept special slaves for the complex task of brushing their teeth. This hygienic ritual was part of religious rites.

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

The invention of the bristled brush in 1498 is credited to the Chinese. The bristles of a Siberian boar were attached to a bamboo or bone handle. Moreover, for such a case, the boar was shaved off only that "wool" that grew on the neck.

During the time of Ivan the Terrible in Rus', tooth "brooms" were in use - sticks with a bunch of bristles at the end, which the boyars used after a meal.

Peter I ordered the boyars to brush their teeth with crushed chalk and a damp cloth. And the people knew a different way: coals from birch wood perfectly whiten teeth. That's just the mouth to rinse after such cleaning should be especially careful.

Such a brush came to Europe in the seventeenth century and soon became widespread. Europeans brushing their teeth (and there were very few of them, because at that time the use of a brush was considered indecent, it was much more common to use a toothpick made of goose feather, gold or copper after eating), considered pig bristles too stiff and replaced her horsehair. According to written sources, French dentists, the most "advanced" experts in this field in Europe at that time, actively recommended the daily use of the 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 the Dupont de Nemours company. The first such brush appeared in 1938. But toothbrushes, even those with nylon bristles, remained very hard until DuPont improved the technology in 1950 and made the nylon bristles softer.

Oddly enough, the explosion in the hygiene industry, and in particular when it came to brushing your 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 various colors and shapes.

The idea of ​​an electric toothbrush was proposed in 1880 by Dr. Scott. The hairs of "Dr. Scott's Electric Brush", according to the manufacturers, "possessed a constant electromagnetic field."
The first true mechanical toothbrush was patented in Switzerland after World War II and powered by electricity. In 1960, it appeared on the American market. And in 1961, General Electric introduced the first model with an autonomous power source. And although this thing seemed like an overkill to many, the electric toothbrush gained popularity very quickly. Later, various modifications 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, electro-rotating ones appeared (Rotadent, Interplack, etc.). They work like manual brushes, but with increased abrasion, as they rotate at an average speed of 7000 strokes per minute or 58 Hz. These brushes are an order of magnitude more effective than manual ones, but if brushed too aggressively, they can damage the enamel.
In the 1990s, electric reciprocating brushes appeared, also working on the principle of abrasion, most of which exist on the market today.
Combining the results of 29 studies involving 2547 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 significantly more effective than a conventional manual toothbrush. .

But the most significant progress in more "gentle" cleaning of the teeth was achieved with the development of sonic toothbrushes (Braun Oral B-3D, Sonicart, Panasonic, etc.). They operate at an audio frequency, averaging 30,000 strokes per minute or 250 Hz, which allows for a deeper yet "gentle" foamy cleaning.
In the mid-90s, in the USA, Dr. Robert Bock developed and patented the Ultrasonex dual-frequency ultrasonic brush. This brush uses a completely new technology based on ultrasound. The brush moves at a speed of 196,000,000 strokes per minute (or 1,600,000 Hz), which is more than 6,000 times faster than that of a sonic brush. 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 therapeutic ultrasonic frequency of 1.6 MHz break these chains even under the gum (at the 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 the Case Western Dental Institute, USA, in 2 groups of patients (group 1 - using a brush with an ultrasonic frequency, the 2nd - without ultrasound), showed that Ultrasonex with ultrasound was 200 % more effective in removing night plaque, 230% more effective in the treatment of gingivitis, 450% more effective in reducing gum bleeding.

Another distinctive feature of a modern toothbrush is rounded bristles. For many years, straight standard toothbrushes were recommended by dentists only because there was no technology to round every single hair. Round bristles are the least traumatic for oral tissues. Modern production methods allow you to create toothbrushes of various shapes, sizes and models.

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

For example, Glasgow dentist Glen Heavenor invents ergonomic handles in his spare time. He already has handles for frying pans, combs, garden tools and a wrench, a baby stroller and a safety razor. But the dream of a dentist has always been, of course, the perfect toothbrush handle. According to Glenn, we brush our teeth the wrong way, because we are just not comfortable doing it in the most effective way. But not a single invention was given to him with such difficulty as a toothbrush. The doctor was not afraid of being 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 handle is finally ready, but needs further refinement. To encourage the design dentist, the National Support 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 charges of opposite polarity

Dentrust 3-sided brush with two heads, allowing you to clean the tooth from three sides at once

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

Concept brush with disposable bristle head by Bould Design

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

Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) is an opinion research company commissioned by the legendary Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as part of the Lemelson-MIT Program to promote innovation. The last survey was conducted in the USA in November 2002. To appreciate the importance of the toothbrush for mankind, it was included in the list of inventions vital to man. And who would have thought! The toothbrush has overtaken the car, the computer and the mobile phone.

It remains only to put a monument to the brush! Which, by the way, was done!
The Toothbrush Monument ("Paste, in a Cup, on a Sink: Portrait of Coosje" s Thinking ") was erected in 1983 in the German town of Krefeld by engineer J. Robert Jennings. Dimensions 6 x 2.8 x 0.2 meters Material - steel and cast iron painted with polyurethane enamel.

What do you think is the greatest invention of mankind? Wheel? Internal combustion engine? Computer, mobile phone, microwave oven? No no and one more time no. According to a survey of US residents conducted a few years ago by research company Taylor Nelson Sofres, the greatest invention of mankind was called ... an ordinary toothbrush.

Mankind began to take care of oral hygiene for a very, very long time. 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. 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 most ancient example of a toothbrush can be called a wooden stick, soaked at one end and pointed at the other. The sharp end was used to remove food fibers, the other was chewed with teeth, while coarse wood fibers removed plaque from the teeth. They made such “brushes” from special types of wood containing essential oils and known for their disinfectant properties. By the way, 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.

It took centuries for a tool more or less similar to a modern toothbrush to appear. Only in 1498 in China did they come up with the idea of ​​​​attaching a small amount 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 spine of a boar. The bristly head was attached not parallel to the handle, as we are used to, but perpendicularly, to make it easier to clean.

Gradually, the Asian “novelty” began to be “exported” to other countries of the world, and the fashion for brushing your teeth reached Russia. Already under Ivan the Terrible, bearded boyars, no, no, and at the end of a stormy feast, took out a “tooth broom” from the pocket of the caftan - a wooden stick with a bundle of bristles (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1 "Tooth broom" was a frequent companion of every self-respecting boyar at royal feasts

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.

In de-franchised Europe, the toothbrush at first became an outcast: it was considered indecent to use this tool (as we remember, ladies and gentlemen did not consider washing something necessary either). However, by the middle of the 17th century, the toothbrush began to gain ground, which was facilitated by the appearance of the book “The Dentist-Surgeon, or a Treatise on the Teeth” by the French dentist Pierre Fauchard. In his scientific work, Fauchard criticized the then prevailing opinion that some mysterious “dental worms” were the cause of dental diseases. He identified 102 types of dental diseases, and also developed a more humane method of removing teeth. The doctor also became famous for the fact that he invented false teeth, pin teeth, caps for teeth coated with porcelain enamel, and began using primitive braces.

So, Fauchard argued that it is necessary to brush your teeth, and daily. True, in his opinion, horse hair, which was used in Europe to make bristles for toothbrushes, was too soft and could not clean teeth well, and pig bristles, on the contrary, severely injured tooth enamel. Alas, the doctor could not offer any optimal material for the bristles - his recommendations were limited to the instruction to wipe the teeth and gums with a natural sea sponge.

The proof that a revolutionary new material is needed for tooth bristles was received by humanity at the end of the 19th century, when the outstanding French microbiologist Louis Pasteur hypothesized that microbes and viruses are the cause of many dental diseases. And where is it most comfortable for them to breed, if not in the humid environment of natural bristled toothbrushes? Alternatively, dentists suggested boiling toothbrushes daily, thereby disinfecting them, but this procedure quickly wore out the bristles and the brush became unusable.

But in order to make a toothbrush a useful tool for human health, it took another half a century. In 1937, specialists from 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 strongly, 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.

Oddly enough, the explosion in the hygiene industry, and in particular when it came to brushing your 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 various colors and shapes.

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. True, attempts to create such a device have been made for a long time. So, at the end of the 19th century, a certain Dr. Scott (George A. Scott) invented an electric toothbrush 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 put production on stream and establish sales. It was planned that it would be used by people who have problems with fine motor skills, or those whose teeth are “decorated” with non-removable orthopedic equipment (in other words, braces).

Over the next forty years, only the lazy did not try to experiment with a toothbrush. Experts say that between 1963 and 1998, more than 3,000 toothbrush models were patented. What they just didn’t do with them: first, the brush was equipped with a built-in timer, then it became possible to replace the cleaning heads, later they released electric rotating brushes, and then - reciprocating rotating brushes. The bristles of the brushes began to be covered with a gradually fading pigment, which reminded the owner of the need to replace the brush. Then there were brushes with rounded ends of the bristles, safer for teeth and gums.

The first true mechanical toothbrush was patented in Switzerland after World War II and powered by electricity. In 1960, it appeared on the American market. And in 1961, General Electric introduced the first model with an autonomous power source. And although this thing seemed like an overkill to many, the electric toothbrush gained popularity very quickly. Later, various modifications appeared: a mechanical toothbrush with a built-in timer, a mechanical toothbrush with replaceable cleaning heads, etc.

IN In the 1960s, in addition to mechanical brushes, electro-rotating ones appeared (Rotadent, Interplack, etc.). They work like manual brushes, but with increased abrasion, as they rotate at an average speed of 7000 strokes per minute or 58 Hz. These brushes are an order of magnitude more effective than manual ones, but if brushed too aggressively, they can damage the enamel.

IN In the 1990s, electric reciprocating brushes appeared, also working on the principle of abrasion, most of which exist on the market today.

Combining the results of 29 studies involving 2547 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 significantly more effective than a conventional manual toothbrush. .

But the most significant progress in more "gentle" cleaning of the teeth was achieved with the development of sonic toothbrushes (Braun Oral B-3D, Sonicart, Panasonic, etc.). They operate at an audio frequency, averaging 30,000 strokes per minute or 250 Hz, which allows for a deeper yet "gentle" foamy cleaning.

IN In the mid-90s, in the USA, Dr. Robert Bock developed and patented the Ultrasonex dual-frequency ultrasonic brush. This brush uses a completely new technology based on ultrasound. The brush moves at a speed of 196,000,000 strokes per minute (or 1,600,000 Hz), which is more than 6,000 times faster than that of a sonic brush. 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 therapeutic ultrasonic frequency of 1.6 MHz break these chains even under the gum (at the 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 the Case Western Dental Institute, USA, in 2 groups of patients (group 1 - using a brush with an ultrasonic frequency, the 2nd - without ultrasound), showed that Ultrasonex with ultrasound was 200 % more effective in removing night plaque, 230% more effective in the treatment of gingivitis, 450% more effective in reducing gum bleeding.

Another distinctive feature of a modern toothbrush is rounded bristles. For many years, straight standard toothbrushes were recommended by dentists only because there was no technology to round every single hair. Round bristles are the least traumatic for oral tissues. Modern production methods allow you to create toothbrushes of various shapes, sizes and models.

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

For example, Glasgow dentist Glen Heavenor invents ergonomic handles in his spare time. He already has handles for frying pans, combs, garden tools and a wrench, a baby stroller and a safety razor. But the dream of a dentist has always been, of course, the perfect toothbrush handle. According to Glenn, we brush our teeth the wrong way, because we are just not comfortable doing it in the most effective way. But not a single invention was given to him with such difficulty as a toothbrush. The doctor was not afraid of being 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 handle is finally ready, but needs further refinement. To encourage the design dentist, the National Support Group for Scientists, Inventors and Artists awarded him a grant of £75,000.

The development of electric toothbrushes is actively continuing now. Before we had time to learn how to use them properly (in Ukraine and Russia, these devices appeared 15 years ago), an electric toothbrush was invented, and a little later, an ultrasonic brush appeared that breaks bacteria chains even 5 mm under the gum. Recently, a brush was introduced in Japan that connects to a computer via a USB port. Where miracle technologies will lead us tomorrow - time will tell ...

The most exotic toothbrush options:

Ionized brush, the action of which is based on the interaction of charges of opposite polarity

Dentrust 3-sided brush with two heads, allowing you to clean the tooth from three sides at once

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

An amazing hybrid between a toy car and a brush

Concept brush with disposable bristle head by Bould Design

Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) is an opinion research company commissioned by the legendary Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as part of the Lemelson-MIT Program to promote innovation. The last survey was conducted in the USA in November 2002. To appreciate the importance of the toothbrush for mankind, it was included in the list of inventions vital to man. And who would have thought! The toothbrush has overtaken the car, the computer and the mobile phone.

It remains only to put a monument to the brush! Which, by the way, was done. The toothbrush monument was erected in 1983 in the German town of Krefeld. The author is engineer Jennings (J. Robert Jennings). Dimensions 6 x 2.8 x 0.2 meters. Material - steel and cast iron painted with polyurethane enamel.

Chronological table

To brush your teeth is dental brush. There are 5 degrees of hardness dental brushes: very hard ... do not collapse. Throughout stories of mankind, the health of teeth and gums was considered ...