Twigs or rags were often used to scrape or wipe teeth. People would also use chalk and brick dust to get rid of any muck – sometimes they'd mix salt with bicarbonate of soda for a frothy finish. The first mass produced toothbrushes began to appear in the 1800s – using bristles from pigs.
The toothbrush as we know it today was not invented until 1938. However, early forms of the toothbrush have been in existence since 3000 BC. Ancient civilizations used a “chew stick,” which was a thin twig with a frayed end. These 'chew sticks' were rubbed against the teeth.
What to embrace: Fibrous foods – Ancient humans ate mostly fibrous foods. These are both beneficial for digestion and helpful to the teeth – the fibers act as natural toothbrushes and scrub away food particles, bacteria and plaque from the teeth.
The first toothbrush that Egyptians actually used were made by splitting the frayed end of a wooden twig, while in China, they chewed on twigs to clean and freshen their breath. In the 1400s, Chinese invented the first ever-natural soft-bristle toothbrush using hogs' necks.
Fibrous Food
The ancient peoples' diet consisted a large part of fibrous foods. Fibrous foods are great for digestion, but also help to keep our teeth healthy and clean. They do this by aiding in flushing away food debris from the surface of the teeth.
One week without brushing:
As soon as a week goes by, your teeth' enamel will start to break down. The plaque that hasn't been removed will make it easy for bad breath to grow.
Prolonged time without brushing your teeth can cause tooth decay and gum disease to become more advanced, which can lead to receding gums and even tooth loss. Additional issues, including a higher risk for the onset of Alzheimer's disease, can be linked to high levels of unchecked bacteria in the mouth.
The researchers concluded that the period saw wood and bone flints shift from use as simple toothpicks to primitive tools for excavating cavities, and that humans' first attempt at dentistry involved “scratching and levering activities,” not drilling practices.
Many Vikings used picks to clean the gaps between their teeth, and some historian believes they may have also used fibrous hazel twigs and similar tools as a kind of brush. The Viking skeletons discovered over the decades have usually had relatively strong teeth too.
The typical oral hygiene routine for a person in ancient China was to gargle salt water or tea. It became common in the Tang dynasty to soak a willow twig in water before bed and chew on it in the morning. The willow fibers would protrude like a comb and scrub the teeth clean.
Victorian Oral Hygiene & Dental Decay
Most people cleaned their teeth using water with twigs or rough cloths as toothbrushes. Some splurged on a “tooth-powder” if they could afford it. Sugar became more widely distributed, thus contributing to an increase in tooth decay during this time period.
Make it to 94 with all your own teeth intact? You're a record-breaker. Which is precisely what Frank Medina of Stockton, CA has done. According to Ripley's Believe it or Not, Frank Medina is the “oldest man in the world with all his teeth who has never had a cavity."
If you can believe it, tooth brushing tools date way back to around 3500 BC! The Egyptians had created the cleaning utensil by fraying the ends of a twig, which created the “bristles.” There were even tombs in the ancient Egyptians that had contained these tooth-sticks right alongside their owners.
How did medieval people brush their teeth? They would rub their teeth and gums with a rough linen. Recipes have been discovered for pastes and powders they might have applied to the cloth to clean and whiten teeth, as well as to freshen breath. Some pastes were made from ground sage mixed with salt crystals.
At first a sharp surgical instrument was used to separate the tooth from the soft gum tissue. Then, the tooth was grabbed with the forceps and were used in rocking movements. When the tooth was loose enough, they pulled it out using their fingers.
Roots and sticks were initially used as toothpicks and these eventually became chew sticks. A stick similar size to a pencil would be chewed until it formed a tuft of bristles and then used as a brush to clean the teeth. Bristles would have been made of pig hair.
The ancient Romans also practiced dental hygiene.
They used frayed sticks and abrasive powders to brush their teeth. These powders were made from ground-up hooves, pumice, eggshells, seashells, and ashes.
Sage ground with salt crystals was one popular mixture. Powdered charcoal from rosemary stems was another. A crushed paste of pepper, mint, and rock salt was also used, and there were many more.
The toothbrush plant is a low-growing shrub that is found throughout Africa and the Middle East. It is used by the native peoples as a chew stick for cleaning their teeth.
Natural Toothcare. Native Americans cleaned their teeth by using chewsticks and chewing on fresh herbs to cleanse their teeth and gums. Chewsticks were twigs that had two uses: one end was frayed by a rock and used for brushing, while the other end was sharpened and used as a tooth pick.
Cavemen chewed on sticks to clean their teeth and even used grass stalks to pick in between their teeth. Without the availability of high-quality toothbrushes and toothpaste, however, cavemen's teeth were more susceptible to cavities and decay, even with a healthy, carbohydrate-free diet.
Ancient humans had lower loads of harmful disease-causing bacteria and a significantly lower risk of developing tooth decay and gum disease. However, once farming populations expand, there's a massive change. Huge amounts of gum disease and cavities start cropping up," says Alan Cooper, Ph.
"I don't recommend it because it can cause more tangles and oil buildup," he explains. To add to his response, when you do not comb your locks, your hair dries in odd shapes (a not cute one, BTW) and may look buhaghag and frizzy.
Children who don't brush their teeth are at risk for tooth decay and cavities, which can lead to larger issues later in life, like pain, infections, and problems with eating and speaking. It's important for parents to help their children properly take care of their teeth to avoid issues later in life.
This review shows that there is consensus in the literature that (meticulous) tooth brushing once per day is sufficient to maintain oral health and to prevent caries and periodontal diseases. Tooth brushing is also regarded as an important vehicle for application of anti-caries agents, such as fluorides.