Toothbrush Development History

Human ancestors had the habit of gargle and brushing teeth. In 3000 BC, the first tool for cleaning the mouth was found in the tomb of the king of Ur city-state of Sumer. One can last for two weeks. In ancient Greece and Rome, people used animal ashes as tooth powder to clean their mouths, and some primitive tribes used charcoal, salt water, fine sand, and branches to clean their teeth. Mash one end and make it into a brush shape, which is used to clean between teeth and brush your teeth. It is called Miswak. It is a natural toothbrush. According to scientists, this branch contains fluoride and saponin, which can prevent tooth decay and have analgesic effect. .

The Chinese have understood the importance of protecting teeth more than 2,000 years ago. The "Historical Records · Cang Gong Zhuan" stated that the cause of dental caries was "eating without gargle". In "Book of Rites": "The chicken cries salty and coughs" shows that people have the habit of gargle. The ancients cleaned the mouth and teeth with fingers and willow branches. In the Dunhuang fresco "Sacred Picture of the Fork Head at Laodu", there is a monk squatting on the ground, holding a mouthwash bottle in his left hand, and wiping his front teeth with his right middle finger. The term "toothbrush" was officially used in the Yuan Dynasty. Guo Yu said in his poem: "Nanzhou toothbrushes are worth a gold value on the first day they are sent to you." Brush your teeth with a toothbrush powder developed by Chinese herbal medicine.

According to American records, when a new century was about to emerge on the horizon of mankind in 1498, the emperor of China invented the toothbrush. 1498 was the eleventh year of Hongzhi in the Ming Dynasty, under the rule of Ming Xiaozong, that is to say, it was Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty who invented the toothbrush. The toothbrush is made of boar bristles inlaid on the bone. Once the toothbrush came out, it passed to Europe for a long time, and it was very popular there. However, toothbrushes are expensive, and only princes and nobles can bear it, and the general public can only admire them. It was not until the 1830s that DuPont began to manufacture synthetic fibers (nylon), and a new generation of toothbrushes with nylon bristles began to be born. At this time, toothbrushes became a major commodity and flew into the homes of ordinary people. It can be seen that my country has a similar modern toothbrush more than 300 years earlier than Europe. However, this is wrong. The earliest toothbrush unearthed in China today is a bronze toothbrush from the Qin Dynasty.

According to ancient records, in the Southern Song Dynasty in China, there were already shops specializing in the production and sale of toothbrushes. At that time, the toothbrush was made of bone, horn, bamboo, wood and other materials. Several rows of pores were drilled on the head, and horsetails were planted on the head. It is very close to modern toothbrushes.

The Southern Song Dynasty commonly referred to the toothbrush as "brushing teeth": The thirteenth volume of Wu Zimu's notebook monograph "Menglianglu" describing Hangzhou life in the Southern Song Dynasty wrote: "There are brushing teeth in various colored groceries." "The Treasure of Home Health" even specifically discussed whether the time for brushing with a toothbrush should be arranged in the morning: "If you get up early, you can't brush your teeth, because you may be afraid of floating roots and loose teeth. If you suffer from toothache for a long time, brushing your teeth is a ponytail. Very damaged.” Because the roots of the teeth are looser in the morning, and the horsetails are harder.