toothbrush history

History of the toothbrush (click on the pictures to make extra information pop-up)

chewing stickThe early history and evolution of the toothbrush has its origin in the "chewingsticks" used by the Babylonians as early as 3500 BC.

As the years passed, toothpicks matured into the chew stick which was about the size of a modern pencil. One end was chewed into and became softened and brush-like while the opposite end was pointed and used as a pick to clean food and debris from between the teeth. The twigs used were carefully chosen from aromatic trees that had the ability to clean and freshen the mouth. The earliest literature showing the use of these twigs is found in Chinese literature at around 1600 BC.

The first true bristled toothbrush also originated in China at around 1600 AD.

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My name is William Addis.

I lived in the 1700's.

It is said that I invented the toothbrush while I was in jail where I used a bone leftover from a meal as the handle for my first toothbrush.

At around 1780, the first toothbrush was made by William Addis of Clerkenald, England. Addis, and later, his descendants, manufactured the finest English brushes, where the handles were carved out of the bone of cattle and the heads of the natural bristles were placed in the bored holes made in the bone and kept in place by thin wire. The natural bristles were obtained from the necks and shoulders of swine, especially from pigs living in colder climates like Siberia and China.

19th century toothbrushBy the early 1800s the bristled brushes were in general use in Europe and Japan. In 1857, H. N. Wadsworth was credited as the first American to receive a toothbrush patent as America entered the growing toothbrush market.

As technology progressed, synthetic bristles replaced the natural swine bristles. Nylon made from oil products was invented in 1934. Nylon was first applied to the toothbrush at around 1938 and by 1939.


modern electricHard to believe, but most Americans didn't brush their teeth until soldiers brought the Army's enforced habit back home from World War II. The first real electric toothbrush was produced in 1939, developed in Switzerland. But it didn't sell well and they stopped selling it. The electrical toothbrush was first marketed in the United States in 1960 by Squibb. The brush was called the Broxodent. General Electric introduced a rechargeable cordless toothbrush in 1961. Interplak was the first rotary action electrical toothbrush for home use, introduced in 1987.

 

Sources:

http://www.toothbrushexpress.com/html/toothbrush_history.html

www.history.org/.../enewsletter/may03/iotm.cfm

http://www.trivia-library.com/a/history-and-story-behind-inventions-toothbrush.htm

www.wisdom-toothbrushes.com/.../history.html

http://www.usa.philips.com/c/electric-toothbrushes/139863/cat/