MelissaA
Brenton
Shilpa Karhik
The Origins of the Humble TOOTHBRUSH!
October 2nd 2008 14:30
The toothbrush as we know it today was not invented until 1938. From around 3000 BC, people used anything from a 'chew stick' - a thin twig with a frayed end, to feathers, bones and porcupine quills to clean their teeth.
The bristle toothbrush, similar to the type used today, was invented in China in 1498. The bristles were actually made of coarse hairs taken from the back of a hog's neck and attached to a bamboo stick or bone.
William Addis of England is credited with creating the first mass-produced toothbrush in 1780. In 1770 he had been placed in jail for causing a riot. While in prison, he decided that the method for teeth brushing of the time – rubbing a rag on one's teeth with soot and salt – could be improved. So he took a small animal bone, drilled small holes in it, obtained some bristles from a guard, passed the bristles through the holes on the bone and glued them.
The first patent for a toothbrush was by H. N. Wadsworth on November 7th, 1857 in the USA, but mass production of the product in America didn't begin until 1885. The rather advanced design had a bone handle with holes bored into it for the Siberian Boar hair bristles. Boar wasn't an ideal material; it retained bacteria, it didn't dry well, and the bristles would often fall out of the brush.
Boar bristles were used until 1938, when nylon bristles were introduced by Dupont de Nemours. The first nylon bristle toothbrush, made with nylon yarn, went on sale on February 24, 1938, and was called Doctor West's Miracle Toothbrush.
The first electric toothbrush, the Broxodent, was introduced by the Squibb company under the name Broxodent. The company (now Bristol-Myers Squibb) released it at the centennial of the American Dental Association in 1960.
In January 2003, the toothbrush was selected as the number one invention Americans could not live without, beating out cars, computer, mobile/cell phones, and microwave ovens.
The bristle toothbrush, similar to the type used today, was invented in China in 1498. The bristles were actually made of coarse hairs taken from the back of a hog's neck and attached to a bamboo stick or bone.
The first patent for a toothbrush was by H. N. Wadsworth on November 7th, 1857 in the USA, but mass production of the product in America didn't begin until 1885. The rather advanced design had a bone handle with holes bored into it for the Siberian Boar hair bristles. Boar wasn't an ideal material; it retained bacteria, it didn't dry well, and the bristles would often fall out of the brush.
Boar bristles were used until 1938, when nylon bristles were introduced by Dupont de Nemours. The first nylon bristle toothbrush, made with nylon yarn, went on sale on February 24, 1938, and was called Doctor West's Miracle Toothbrush.
The first electric toothbrush, the Broxodent, was introduced by the Squibb company under the name Broxodent. The company (now Bristol-Myers Squibb) released it at the centennial of the American Dental Association in 1960.
In January 2003, the toothbrush was selected as the number one invention Americans could not live without, beating out cars, computer, mobile/cell phones, and microwave ovens.
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