It is unlikely that historians will be able to more or less accurately answer the question of when the first toothbrush appeared, since this event took place in those ancient times, about which only meager and fragmentary information has been preserved. It is known that several millennia ago people tried to solve the problems associated with oral hygiene with the help of improvised means, but before the toothbrush took on the shape so familiar to us, it had come a long evolutionary path. We only note its main stages.
Ancient Assyrian toothbrushes
In the reports of the British archaeological expedition, which conducted excavations in 1892 on the territory of the ancient Assyrian kingdom, there is one curious entry. It says that, among other artifacts, fossilized from time to time, but well-preserved wooden sticks, one end of which was pointed and the other macerated like a brush, were extracted from the earth. After a comprehensive study of the find, scientists concluded that they were nothing but samples of the first toothbrushes.
It turns outthe subjects of King Ashurbanipal and other legendary rulers of Assyria took care of the hygiene of their own mouths. This is evidenced by the objects found during the excavations. Their pointed ends served as a kind of toothpicks - they removed food debris from the mouth. The opposite end of this "first toothbrush" was used in a very peculiar way: it was simply chewed, removing plaque with the help of coarse wood fibers.
Discoveries made in Egypt, India, Iran and other parts of the world
Somewhat later, exactly the same devices for putting things in order in the mouth were discovered during excavations of ancient Egyptian tombs. As you know, pharaohs and other noble persons were sent to the afterlife, providing everything necessary for a worthy stay there. This is probably why the sticks described above, which are considered to be the first toothbrushes, were found in burials among weapons, jewelry, magnificent outfits and other things, without which the deceased is ashamed to appear in a decent society.
A more detailed study of the issue showed that similar devices were used in ancient times by the peoples who inhabited the territories of China, Iran and India. For their manufacture, mastic wood was used, and in some cases bronze or even gold. And the information received from the members of the expeditions who studied the life of the tribes inhabiting the hard-to-reach regions of Central Africa was a complete surprise. As it turned out, they are very zealous about oral hygiene and to this day they use exactly the same chewed from onethe end of the wand, as well as the inhabitants of long-vanished civilizations.
Invention of the ancient Chinese
As mentioned above, historians can only roughly indicate the era in which people began to clean up their mouths by chewing special sticks, but it is known exactly when and where the first toothbrush appeared. Reviews, or rather, evidence of this event have been preserved in the ancient Chinese chronicles of the late 15th century. From them it is clear that in June 1498 a certain wise man had the idea to make a very close analogue of a modern brush. He attached a strip of pig bristle to a bamboo handle and publicly demonstrated his invention.
His "technical development" was a success with compatriots and was, as they say today, put into mass production. Brush handles were made not only from bamboo, but also from bone, ceramics and various other metals. Only the hog bristle hedgehog remained unchanged, which, by the way, had a very big drawback: in the cold it became stiff and injured the gums. For this reason, when the first toothbrushes were brought from China to Europe, pig bristles were replaced with more suitable short-cut horsehair.
Historical facts that cannot be denied
To the shame of "enlightened Europe", it should be noted that toothbrushes took root in it with great difficulty. It is known that even in the Renaissance (XV-XVI centuries), taking care of hygiene, not only of the mouth, but of the whole body, was considered completely unnecessary. MoreMoreover, for a true aristocrat, it was an unworthy and even humiliating thing. Court ladies drowned out the bad smell by pouring streams of expensive perfumes on themselves (this was especially true on critical days). Men simply did not pay attention to such trifles.
Only by the middle of the 17th century did Europeans gradually assimilate the truth formulated three centuries later by Moidodyr, and realized that "you must, you must wash your face in the mornings and evenings." At the same time, a toothbrush, imported from China and until then considered only an exotic curiosity, became widespread among them.
Tooth brooms from the time of Ivan the Terrible
At the same time, to the credit of our compatriots, it should be noted that in Russia personal hygiene was taken much more seriously, and much earlier than Europeans came to the conclusion that "unclean chimney sweeps are shame and disgrace." Suffice it to recall the Russian baths, so loved by the people and categorically rejected by strangers.
For this reason, the first toothbrushes were widely used in Russia almost a hundred years earlier than in Europe. It happened in the middle of the XVI century, during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. By the way, despite the outward resemblance to Chinese samples, they were developed by domestic craftsmen and were thin wooden sticks, at the ends of which bunches of the same pig bristles were attached. These designs were called dental brooms.
They operated in the mouths of our ancestors until the middle of the XIX century and lost their positions only afterhow the educated Russian public was imbued with the ideas of Louis Pasteur that the moisture remaining on the brush is a favorable environment for the development of pathogenic microbes. It was decided that it was not safe to brush your teeth, and for some time the Russians abandoned this activity.
First attempts at industrial production of toothbrushes
Meanwhile, Europe in matters of hygiene has successfully made up for what it missed earlier. In 1840, the first industrial toothbrushes appeared on the shelves of Western stores. Their manufacturer was the British company Addis. The enterprising British bought bristles in Russia and China.
Continuing the conversation about how toothbrushes conquered the world, we should name a few more dates that have become epochal in this process. So, in 1938, the same British tried to replace natural pig bristles with synthetic fibers, but failed. At that time, there was no artificial material with the necessary elasticity, and the one that was available injured the gums.
Before the first use, the toothbrush had to be softened for a long time in boiling water, but then the fibers hardened again, and everything was repeated anew. As a result, the novelty was abandoned, and its production was resumed only in 1950, after the chemical industry began to produce the necessary material.
Further improvement of brush design
In the same year, 1938, another curious event took place. One obscure Swedish firmtried to start producing the world's first electric toothbrushes, but, like the British, failed. Potential users were curious about the new invention, but they were in no hurry to take the mains-powered mechanism into their mouths. It wasn't until the early 1960s that battery-powered reciprocating electric toothbrushes took over the market. Somewhat later, they were improved and received the well-known today rotating heads.
Scientific and technological progress, moving in our days with ever-increasing speed, has also affected the developments associated with the production of more and more new models of toothbrushes. Their designs sometimes exceed the wildest fantasies. For example, the Japanese company Panasonic once again surprised the world by releasing a toothbrush with a video camera built into it. This innovation allows the user to visually inspect the hardest to reach areas of the mouth and clean them thoroughly.
Baby brushes
Today, the production of toothbrushes has become a powerful global industry, which has its own leaders and outsiders. This is not surprising, since washing and brushing your teeth is a mandatory procedure that every self-respecting person performs every day. He must instill the same skills in his children. To this end, brush manufacturers produce a wide range of products designed for the smallest consumers.
An example of this concern for children is the Lubby finger toothbrush –the first of those with which the little man who came into this world is to meet. It is designed for a baby at the age of about four months, whose teeth are just beginning to cut. This simple device, in which the mother's finger is the main component, can be replaced by another toothbrush - “Aquafresh. My first tooth. It is equipped with a handle and is very similar to those used by parents themselves, but, unlike them, is equipped with an unusually soft bristle, which excludes the possibility of damage to delicate children's gums.
Teeth brushing turned into a fun game
In general, manufacturers approach the manufacture of this type of goods with special responsibility, because the impression the first toothbrush makes on the baby largely determines his further attitude to washing and all other hygiene procedures. It is understandable. The first use of a toothbrush should in no case be associated with pain or any other kind of discomfort.
Best of all, brushing your teeth will be perceived by the child as a fun game with mom. That is why toothbrushes for the first teeth are often produced in the form of animals, birds, insects, etc. In stores, they are presented in a fairly wide range.
Types of first toothbrushes for kids: sizes
As a rule, all manufacturers of this product label their products, indicating on it what age it is intended for. In the event that there are no such marks, or their objectivitydoubtful, parents can use the recommendations below.
So, for babies up to a year, it is recommended to purchase brushes equipped with soft silicone bristles. These can be the fingertips mentioned above or the special dental wipes available in most stores. For older children, brushes are available in sizes as follows: 1.5 cm head length from 1 to 2 years, 2 cm for 2 to 5 years, and 2.5 cm for 5 to 7 years.
Which brush to choose - hard or soft?
In addition to the size of the brush, the degree of its rigidity is of great importance. It must also be indicated on the packaging of the product. For children over 1 year old, with he althy gums and strong tooth enamel, doctors recommend buying harder brushes, as they not only perform their main function during operation, but also massage the child’s gums well. However, care must be taken when using them.
If the gums are weak and prone to bleeding, then the best option would be to purchase a soft brush. In case of doubts that parents have about the condition of the enamel and gums of the child, you should opt for medium-hard brushes. It will be, so to speak, a win-win option.
Natural or artificial brushes to give preference?
Finally, many parents attach great importance to whether a child's first toothbrush is made of natural or synthetic material. Strange as it may seem, butmost dentists prefer the latter.
- First (and most importantly), these brushes do not breed harmful bacteria.
- Secondly, plastic bristles, unlike natural ones, do not break or crumble, leaving small hard particles in the child's mouth.
- And thirdly, brushes made of artificial materials are much more durable than their natural counterparts.
