Smiling is the number one form of universal communication. Since the human species began, women and men have been fanatical in their efforts to have clean teeth and a sparkling smile. While some of the methods of yesteryear were crude to say the least, they served as a foundation for oral and dental hygiene as we know it today. Here’s a brief but interesting history about teeth whitening.
The first tooth brushes go back to 3000 BC which our forefathers called ‘chew sticks’. They were tiny branches with a frayed piece at the one end. They rubbed these on the teeth to remove particles. The first toothbrushes with hog hair bristles were used by the Chinese in the 1400s. European traders acquired a supply of these, took them home, and gradually many countries and cultures began using hog hair toothbrushes.
Louis Pasteur, a French bacteriologist, caused some alarm when he discovered germs. People learned that hog bristles could be responsible for oral infections. Scientists continued to search for a more sanitized substitute, but they were only successful in 1935 when nylon was discovered by Wallace Corothers.
Dr West’s Miracle Tuft Toothbrush was the result. A leading company, du Pont, started to market this product right through America. The public was told about the drawbacks of hog hair and the many advantages of nylon. The only problem was that the ‘miracle’ toothbrush was so rigid that it harmed gums. Dentists wanted nothing to do with them. Du Pont continued its efforts and 20 years later, the soft-bristled nylon Park Avenue toothbrush was launched.
The Squibb Company caused a dental revolution when it introduced the first electric toothbrush in 1961. The product received the stamp of approval from the American Dental Association and, over the coming years, the electric toothbrush became much improved. Today they are battery operated, cordless, and even sonic.
Teeth whitening began with the Egyptians in 2000 BC. They concocted a substance using wine vinegar and powdered pumice stone which was applied to the teeth with a chew stick. If you think that sounds awful, the Romans were even worse – they used human urine. Roman doctors were convinced that urine had teeth whitening properties.
History shows that it wasn’t dentists who offered teeth whitening to the public. It was in fact barbers who were often asked to extract rotting teeth. After filing the teeth, they would apply a caustic acid as a whitener. It proved to be effective but, in the process, the enamel was destroyed.
During the 1800s Italian dentists discovered that fluoride could remove discolorations on teeth. This began a move in the 1840s to get children to suck sweetened fluoride lozenges. The results were so good that fluoride was added to drinking water and put in toothpastes and mouthwashes because it also reduced tooth decay. Unfortunately it was later learned that fluoride actually caused discoloration of the teeth in adult years.
So here we are in the 21st Century and we are still trying to get the perfect smile with pearly white teeth. The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry reports a 300 percent increase in the number of whitening and bleaching procedures done over the past 5 years. These are much safer and more effective than the unsophisticated methods of yesteryear!
Invisalign braces Toronto is an inexpensive way to straighten and enhance your smile dramatically. Cosmetic dentist Toronto offers various tooth whitening options to help you achieve the look that you want.