The History of the Toothbrush

Today, there are countless toothbrush options to choose from – soft or hard bristles, different shapes of handles – all are available in a rainbow of colors! But the modern day toothbrush comes from humble beginnings long ago, and the practice of daily tooth brushing didn’t become mainstream in the United States until the early 1950’s.

Tooth and Chew Sticks
The very first iteration of the toothbrush dates back to 3500 BC in Egypt and Babylon, and was formed by chewing on a twig to fray the ends, which could then be used to rub the teeth clean. Similarly, in China in 1600 BC, people began chewing on sticks from aromatic trees that had natural healing and antiseptic properties.

Bristles
In the 15th century, the Chinese invented the first version of a toothbrush with bristles – which would eventually morph into what we use today. They plucked coarse hairs from northern boars and then affixed them to handles whittled from bones or bamboo.

Bristled toothbrushes were brought to Europe in the Middle Ages and quickly became the preferred method of tooth cleaning. The Europeans however preferred softer fibers such as feathers or horse hair.

In the late 18th century, Englishman William Addis began mass producing a version of the Chinese bristled brush, with the new addition of drilling holes in the handles in which the bristles could be inserted.

Plastic
After the start of World War II, resources became scarce in America, which prompted the use of moldable plastic for the handles. In 1938, Dupont de Nemours introduced nylon bristles, which boasted improved performance and were cheaper to produce. A few years later, soldiers returning after the war brought with them higher standards of dental hygiene, thus popularizing the habit of brushing twice daily.

The toothbrush as we know it today has come a long way!

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