Ask Mike: Who invented the toothbrush?
Hey Guys,
A few years ago, I started using an electric toothbrush at the behest of my exasperated dentist. It was a good call–I went from being told my teeth and gums represented those of a hobo, to someone who didn’t have to live in fear of his six-month cleaning. Recently, as I lay back in the dental chair listening to the hygienist talk about how my gums “look great,” I got to wondering: Who invented the toothbrush?
I started at Yahoo! Search and quickly found a great link from the Library of Congress. They explain that modern toothbrushes were invented in 1938. However, teeth cleaning devices can be traced as far back as 3000 BC. “Ancient civilizations used a ‘chew stick,’ which was a thin twig with a frayed end.” Folks would rub them against their teeth, perhaps in hopes of prying away any unsightly woolly mammoth meat.
The very first mass-produced toothbrush was made by an English chap named William Addis sometime around 1780. A page from The American Society of Mechanical Engineers explains that Addis “attached hairs from the tail of a cow to the end of a whittled thighbone from the same animal.” Amazingly, to this day, “descendants of William Addis still manufacture toothbrushes at a factory in England.” (I presume they no longer use cow tails.)
As for the electric toothbrush, the Library of Congress writes that it first hit the market around 1960. One of the more famous models was known as the Broxodent. I searched around for more info on the landmark tooth-scrubber and came across this vintage ad from the ’60s, marketing the contraption as “a thoughtful and welcome gift.”
Clearly you guys know my stance on the whole electric vs. manual toothbrush debate. Got your own opinions? What about the different types of toothpaste. Does it matter if you use “anti-cavity” toothpaste instead of “whitening” toothpaste? My experience tells me no, but I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Thanks for reading,
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The toothbrush as we know it today was not invented until 1938. However, early forms of the toothbrush have been in existence since 3000 BC. Ancient civilizations used a “chew stick,” which was a thin twig with a frayed end. These ‘chew sticks’ were rubbed against the teeth.
The bristle toothbrush, similar to the type used today, was not invented until 1498 in China. The bristles were actually the stiff, coarse hairs taken from the back of a hog’s neck and attached to handles made of bone or bamboo.
Boar bristles were used until 1938, when nylon bristles were introduced by Dupont de Nemours. The first nylon toothbrush was called Doctor West’s Miracle Toothbrush. Later, Americans were influenced by the disciplined hygiene habits of soldiers from World War II. They became increasingly concerned with the practice of good oral hygiene and quickly adopted the nylon toothbrush.
Some other interesting toothbrush facts:
* The first mass-produced toothbrush was made by William Addis of Clerkenwald, England, around 1780.
* The first American to patent a toothbrush was H. N. Wadsworth, (patent number 18,653,) on Nov. 7, 1857.
* Mass production of toothbrushes began in America around 1885.
* One of the first electric toothbrushes to hit the American market was in 1960. It was marketed by the Squibb company under the name Broxodent.
idont know who invented it but iwould like to send him abig thank u from every human to where ever his soul is.can imagine if there is no toothbrush in the world? Iwell never go near ahuman been ever again
i am so fascinated
Some modern civilizations still use the “chew stick” you mention, it’s called Miswak. It has natural antibacterial properties and promotes very healthy gums and teeth. Many modern muslims use the miswak because it’s sunnah, or a practice adopted since the time of the prophet Muhammad.
The toothbrush was invented in Addison New York. If it as invented anywhere else it would be called the teethbrush.
Hay just eat healthy, then you don’t have to worry about using a toothbrush to much.
Well ……the Tooth Brush was invented in Aransas Pass, Texas ….it’s obvious ….for had it been invented anywhere else …..it would be called the Teeth Brush ……….
Well it’s not so much the toothpaste you use but how well you brush your teeth, and floss as well. Unless your teeth are extremely well formed, flossing remains essential in maintaining healthy teeth. Also, the correct techniques should be used to brush your teeth, with the correct bristle firmness too. About the toothpaste, it’s not the first I’ve heard from people asking about which to choose. I don’t know, I just go with what tastes better. I’d pick Cookies and Peppermint flavoured if there was.
That’s weird. I remember I did a report on the origins of the toothbrush back in middleschool (we had to do a paper on the origins of everyday things) and what I remember from that report was that it was invented by a man when he went to prison. He used a bone as the structure (probably a chicken bone from dinner or something) and he bribed the guard into bringing him fibers, which he fastened into the bone after poking holes into it.
I could easily be wrong, but that’s what I learned.
And if you want to see a Chinese baby inexplicably using an electric toothbrush, including part of the time while wearing his mom’s bra, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjNt_qVOc0g.
haha well first off, i really dont know but good question! all i have to say is all that matters is if u use it
I remember reading a book which said that toothbrush was first invented in China, using a stick as a handle and pig’s hair as the bristles.
is there toothbrush last 3000BC?? ONLY BAYABAS ARE ONLY USED THAT ONLY MY PREDICTION
dont eat chocolates and candies to save in toothbrush and toothpaste!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not the British.
INTERESTING!
have to comment on what Ann said, yah the chew stick mentioned is still being used by Muslims. i used to use it when we still had some. lol. i think that to have a healthier and stronger teeth and gums it also depends on what toothpaste u use. if not why would toothpaste companies add all sorts of chemicals to our toothpastes? calcium, chloride, fluoride etc. which are found in our toothpastes are also used when dentist bleach our teeth. i don’t think that the type of toothpaste u choose is just irrelevant. some special toothpastes are effective to fight cavities, tooth decay, teeth stains and also for whitening our teeth. what i find irrelevant is the new kinds of toothbrushes that bends, 360 degrees flexible, easy to hold, have a back tongue scrubber, or even like a gum massage. which would even cost 10 times the ordinary manual brushes we use. just use regular tooth brush people. just let ur hand direct ur brush to all the regions of ur mouth u want to brush! lol!
To Blue Boden, eating healthy DOES NOT in any way negate the need for brushing and flossing. As a matter of fact, eating healthy can actually harm your teeth. The natural sugars and acids in many fruits and vegetables cause erosion and decay, so it is essential to brush and floss after EVERY meal, not just the unhealthy ones.
in 1498 by an emperor in China made a tooth brush by using hog bristles and a bone for the handle then people started to upgrade it.
north of the Mason/ Dixon line I’m sure it’ called a teeth brush
We should have evolved from toothbrushes by now ~_~. Maybe some kind of rinse should clean our teeth in 5 seconds or less.
Interesting!
I actually prefer using the electronic toothbrushes because regular ones don’t work as well.
The electronic brushes move fast and get in deep.
I need it because my teeth are still bent out of shape.
TO TERRY MULLINS:
Stop stereotyping people. We call it a ‘toothbrush’ just like everyone else.
Check ToothBrush.com
What a terrific piece of information. Thank You!
I love reading random pieces of information.
I never use a toothbrush.
My highscool teacher expressed many times that using
a tootbrush by man leads to homosexuality (not mentioning bleeding of gum, inflammations, even cancer in the mouth.)
Interesting story.
I personally like to use non-electric toothbrushes… If I use an electric one I just feel like I haven’t brushed my teeth good enough.
some guy that was in jail got this idea of putting stiff string on little holes in a stick to brush his teeth
The early Egyptians created the toothbrush.
We should have evolved from toothbrushes by now ~_~. Maybe some kind of rinse should clean our teeth in 5 seconds or less.
Ok, you can be the one to create this enviormentally destructive “miracle mouthwash” you talk about.
The toothbrush is an old one. Is believed to have been invented by Chinese, who used the bristles of the neck of swine. Europe adopted it in the seventeenth century.
The nylon bristles were first produced in 1938 and the electric toothbrush was developed in Switzerland after World War II.
To Shannen
Thanks for understanding.
noone invented it it fell out of the sky 37 years ago and people thought it tasted good so they added new m flavors to make it taste better better known as toothpaste after awhile it caught on that it help out teeth cleaningand thats how we know benjamen franklin invented the toothbrush
hey fun fact.. the native americans invented the toothbrush, they were also the first ones to practice dentistry by using turquoise for fillings.. true stuff
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Though I do indeed agree that a toothbrush is the most essential of oral hygine tools, be it electric or manual; I have never had a more satisfying oral hygine ritual than the one that starts or finishes with the allmighty water pik. Irrigate the funk.
i’ll start using an electric toothbrush!
Um… to “huscafat”… um… why would using a toothbrush make you gay? The reason gums bleed is because the gums aren’t used to being brushed and/or are “sick” (for lack of a better phrase). Unless your teacher can back that claim, I wouldn’t believe it. It is some strange thing…
This was really interesting, though.
Someone who has only one tooth, otherwise it would have been called a teeth brush!
Partially Incorrect Answer!
Because if you do some research you will realize that very FIRST cleaning of teeth was mandated by Islamic Religion over 1300 years ago. It was compulsory for all Muslims to clean their teeth with a makeshift tooth brush which was a special trees branch. It was called “MUSWAK” …. in those days while the rest of the world did not even know the importance of teet cleaning. Islamic religion made it mandatory to clean your teeth 5 times a day with the tooth brush of the times called Muswak…
The toothbrush was invented in the back woods of Kentucky. Otherwise, it would have been named a teeth-brush.
taniaess – “We should have evolved from toothbrushes by now ~_~. Maybe some kind of rinse should clean our teeth in 5 seconds or less.”
Anything that would dissolve the plaque off your teeth for you would damage the teeth, deary XP.
Most of the good from brushing your teeth is actually from the scrubbing part, not the toothpaste part.
In Ancient China the Meo or Hmong chew on sugar canes
Well, the electric chair was invented by a dentist, so the toothbrush must’ve been invented by a mad scientist, wanting to painlessly clean his teeth without shoving string in his gums.
who invited the toothbrush??????????
add me plz
ill add you
idk
Electric is the way to go.
At the university of Alberta, when you first walk in to the faculty of Dentistry written in stone it says ” Thanks to the first man who created the toothbrush, the prophet Muhammed”. Im like wow because i remember in many texts the prophet telling us to brush our teeth five times a day with the Miswak because it makes your breath clean and the the miswak has many healthy compounds to the teeth and stomach. A dentist tld me they still use compounds from the miswak in some toothpaste till this day. I love my miswak