So much today is taken for granted. As ‘tis the season of giving and being thankful, I thought I would highlight something random in our day to day lives that we ought to be thankful for. As hinted by the title, my subject shall be, “The Toothbrush.” Used throughout the day, in bathrooms, offices, or sometimes in a car en route to work, toothbrushes are busy beings that have a lot to do. In a nutshell, they save us hundreds of dollars of medical bills by keeping our teeth and gums healthy and clean. Teeth-brushing might be a chore to some, but contemporary society is lucky that we have such an easy means to clean our pearly white mashers.
The plastic, colorful, sometimes electronic or Disney ornamented toothbrushes of today didn’t exist until 1938. However, rustic forms of these important tools have been in existence since 3000BC. Long ago, ancient civilizations such as the Egyptians and Babylonians used twigs with frayed ends, creating a brush of sorts. (My grandmother told me that her mother had used a birch twig as a brush, so perhaps this method hasn’t completely lost its touch!) As civilization become more “civilized,” ethnic groups like the Chinese engineered “chewing sticks,” which incorporated twigs from sweet-smelling trees, in order to freshen one’s breath. The first “toothbrush” that resembled something like we have today was invented in 1970 by a man named William Addis in England. This brush was slightly more sophisticated than its predecessors, with a handle from cow bone and swine bristles. In 1844, it was realized that rows might be more effective in the cleaning process, and the 3-row bristle was officially designed. The nylon bristles that you are I might use was established during the 1900’s.
The toothbrush really hasn’t changed much in design since ancient times, but it has become a lot more sanitary and soft for sensitive mouths. It’s sidekick, toothpaste, has come an even longer way since its first recording in 500BC! Before toothpaste, there was tooth powder. Its ingredients constantly varied, changing from culture to culture. Some ingredients that were used include burnt eggshells, crushed bones and ox hoof ash powder, chosen by their presumed ability to whiten teeth. Not exactly as appealing as a minty Colgate, but it was better than letting teeth rot away. As time passed, consumers wanted more from their cleaning powders. The Romans used powdered charcoal, bark and other flavors to improve one’s breath, and herbs and salt came later, leading to the minty deliciousness experienced today. Tooth powders evolved into tooth pastes during the 1800’s. At first they contained chalk and soap, and soap remained a key ingredient until after 1945, when it was replaced with a sodium lauryl sulphate, giving it that smooth and pasty quality.
Nowadays we have fluoride toothpastes to prevent decay, special whitening paste, hot-chocolate flavored toothpaste, and so much more as the industry continues to expand. Be thankful for your toothbrush, and the minty toothpaste that is its accomplice. Not so long ago, you would’ve been putting bone remains and branches into your precious mouth! While there is nothing wrong with these natural and more rustic appliances, people have grown soft and sensitive. After writing this article, there is a 50/50 chance I’m going to make an old-fashioned toothbrush for myself, but even if I do, my mouth is more suited to a soft nylon brush and colorful plastic handle. Regardless, we each only have one body, and there is nothing more important than treating it with the utmost of respect, and spoiling it with daily teeth cleanings by man-kind’s finest!
