Dental History

Brushing Up on Tooth Care

According to the ADA, you should replace your toothbrush every three or four months. The modern toothbrush was invented in 1938, but since 3000 BC, people have brushed their teeth. The ancient precursor to the toothbrush was a "chew stick," a frayed twig used to scour teeth. In 1498, the first bristled toothbrush came out of China. It was made from the hair of a hog's neck on a bamboo or bone handle. Mass production of a toothbrush began with William Addis in England in 1780. In the US, mass production began in 1885 after HN Wadsworth patented the invention in 1857. Source.

Ancients Craved Straight Smiles

Mummies with wire bands on individual teeth have been discovered, and some experts believe that catgut was once used in place of today's straight-wire orthodontic bands. Indeed, even Hippocrates and Aristotle considered ways to make teeth straight. The first ligature wire on record was made of gold, found on a mummy in Egypt. On a more modern note, French dentist Pierre Fauchard in 1728 wrote about his ideas for straightening teeth with a band of metal – he even offered illustrations! Delabarre brought us the wire crib in 1819, which is noted as the "birth of contemporary orthodontics." Source.