The Toothbrush

Did You Know...

The toothbrush as we know it today was not invented until 1938.That doesn't mean we did not have other ways to clean our teeth. An earlier forms of the toothbrush has been in existence since 3000 BC. People in our ancient civilizations used a "chew stick," which was a thin twig that they would chew on the end of to make it frayed. These 'chew sticks' were rubbed against the teeth to clean them.

Much later around 1498, in China, the toothbrush was invented. It was made from boar bristles. (the stiff, coarse hairs taken from the back of a hog's neck) These bristles were attached to handles made from bone or bamboo. Even though many styles of the toothbrush were made the boar bristles were not replaced until 1938, when nylon bristles were introduced by Dupont de Nemours. The first nylon toothbrush was called "Doctor West's Miracle Toothbrush". Later, Americans were influenced by the disciplined hygiene habits of soldiers from World War II. They became increasingly concerned with the practice of good oral hygiene and quickly adopted the nylon toothbrush.

Some other interesting toothbrush facts:

* The first mass-produced toothbrush was made by William Addis of Clerkenwald, England, around 1780.
* The first American to patent a toothbrush was H. N. Wadsworth, (patent number 18,653,) on Nov. 7, 1857.