Every day for our entire lives we brush our teeth, or should be anyways. But do we ever wonder where the toothbrush and toothpaste came from? I bet most of us don’t even think about that because we all take the little things for granted. Here is a little history about the toothbrush and toothpaste.  

The First Toothbrush and Toothpaste  

Between the year 3500-3000 B.C. historians say the ancient Babylonians and Egyptians created the first toothbrushes using frayed twigs as bristles and bones for the handles. They found these “toothbrushes” buried with them in their tombs. They also used the toothpaste around 5000 B.C. years before the toothbrush. It was made using grounded ox hooves, ashes, burnt egg shells and pumice. Not very hygienic, am I right? You definitely don’t want to use that mix now.  

History of the Toothbrush 

People didn’t do much to advance the toothbrush until it was reinvented in the year 1498 in China. The brush was from course hairs taken from the back of a hog’s neck and attached to bone or bamboo for the handles. In 1780, William Addis was from England and designed the toothbrush from cattle bone and the brush portion was made from a pig’s hair as well. Before he invented his design, he was arrested for causing a riot. While in prison he decided that using a rag with soot and salt on the teeth was ineffective and could be improved. After his release, he became tremendously wealthy manufacturing toothbrushes with his company Wisdom Toothbrushes. By 1840 toothbrushes were being mass produced in Britian, France, Germany and Japan. Addis died in 1808 and passed on his company to his eldest son and it remained in his family until 1996. Photographs, documents and collected brushes are now displayed in a museum.  

The Greeks and Romans used toothpicks to clean their teeth and in places like India and Africa they used chew sticks. A chew stick was a twig with frayed ends used to brush the teeth and the other end was used as a toothpick. The toothbrush as we know it today wasn’t invented until 1938 by E. I. du Pont de Nemours and is now commonly known as the American company DuPont. The DuPont company is the world’s fourth largest chemical company. He made the toothbrush from nylon and by the 1950’s softer nylon was created. 10 years later the electric toothbrush was invented and progressed over the next decades to what we now use. 

History of the Toothpaste 

The Greeks and Romans took the Egyptians ingredients and began experimenting. They used crushed bones, oyster shells and charcoal to help improve their teeth. China and India used the same ingredients but added more flavor like herbal mints and salts. In the 1700’s toast was invented and some used stale toast, ground it up until it was a fine power and used it to help scrub teeth.  

In 1824, a dentist named Peabody was the first person to add soap to toothpaste. In the following years a man named John Harris added chalk into the ingredient. Colgate began producing their toothpaste on a wider scale by 1873. Their toothpaste was placed in a jar and multiple people in a household would dip their toothbrushes into the jar. Until Dr. Washington Sheffield thought it was unsanitary; he got the inspiration from painters to place the toothpaste in a collapsible tube. By 1914, fluoride was discovered but not particularly used in all toothpaste worldwide. After World War II, synthetic detergents replaced soap and then by 1960 fluoride became standard in toothpaste.  

Toothpaste today contains fluoride, coloring, flavoring, sweetener, and ingredients that make the toothpaste smooth, foam, and stay moist. Over the last centuries the toothpaste has advanced to a healthier and more hygienic paste that helps with whitening and preventing cavities. Aren’t you glad we don’t use crushed bones in toothpaste anymore? I know I am.  

At David G. Johnson DDS, PC, we use the latest technology to benefit our patients’ dental exams. One of the latest 3D scanners we have is the CBCT machine. What is it? CBCT stands for Cone Beam Computed Technology and is a unique type of x-ray equipment that enables the production of 3D images. The CBCT Scanner provides information about many different features of oral health, including tooth structure, nerve pathways, bone health, soft tissues, and more. In less than a minute, it processes about 150-200 images and with its’ high-resolution scanning, your Endodontic can see every small aspect of your entire mouth.  

Another benefit to this machine is that there is a lower radiation level required to obtain these high-quality images. The radiation levels received is 18-200 millirems depending on the size; the average exposure from natural sources is 300 millirems per year at sea level and can be slightly higher at higher elevations. For example, anyone in Denver, Colorado averages 400 millirems per year. The natural radiation we receive every day comes from our environment, food, air, water, and our bodies. So according to the CDC, that’s at a category 1. That’s a low radiation number for this machine! For radiation to be high enough for death you would have to be at a category 5, like what happened at Chernobyl.  

Why would you need to use this machine? You might have been in a car accident or maybe you’re not healing right after a root canal so your Endodontic will use this machine to look further and find what needs to be resolved. Other examples are: 

• Viewing impacted teeth to plan a surgical procedure 
• Preparing for orthodontic treatments 
• Accuracy with the placement of dental implants 
• Diagnostics for temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) 
• Detection of potential tumors and cancerous growths 

• Evaluations of jaw position, nerve canals, sinuses, and nasal cavities 
• Complete information about tooth orientation and bone structure 
• Identifying early signs of dental disease 

Before you get your scan, you will be asked to remove items that might interfere with the imaging, such as eyeglasses, jewelry, hearing aids, hairpins, and removeable orthodontics or dental work. If you enter the machine with any of these items it can break the machine and cost the dentist thousands of dollars to get a replacement. Once your dental assistant gets you set up in the machine, a complete 360-degree rotation is done around your head and the images are taken. Once the machine is complete, the images are reconstructed with the 3D print. It is a comfortable and fast process for all patients. 

Please contact David G. Johnson DDS either on their website, over the phone or in the office if you have any further questions or concerns on your dental health today.