The Invention of the
Toothbrush
Since this article was written many more new toothbrushes have went on the market.
I've often wondered and I'm sure you have too, how many times can the toothbrush be re-invented. Well, A search of world-wide patent applications between 1963-1998, revealed that there are now about 3,000 toothbrush patents! WOW!!! Can you believe that? Blows my mind to think they keep rehashing something that has been done to death....hehehe To be honest any toothbrush will do the job if you use it correctly. That's not to say that we dental professionals advocate using just any toothbrush out there on the market either. A general rule of thumb is to look for a SOFT bristle brush that has the ADA seal on the packaging.
Early Toothbrushes
The earliest toothbrushes were simply small sticks, eventually mashed at one end to increase their cleaning surface. Ancient
Roman patricians employed special slaves to clean their teeth. Tooth brushing formed part of some ancient religious observances.
The bristle brush was probably invented by Chinese; it came to Europe during the seventeenth century and soon was widely used.
French dentists, who were the most advanced in Europe at the time, advocated the use of tooth-brushes in the seventeenth and
early eighteenth centuries. Dentists urged pre-Revolutionary Americans also to use bristle toothbrushes in the seventeenth and
early eighteenth centuries. Nylon has replaced natural bristles in modern brushes.
Dr. Scott's Electric Toothbrush was marketed in 1880; its manufacturer claimed the brush was "permanently charged with
electro-magnetic current." The first real electric toothbrush developed in Switzerland after World War II. This corded model was
introduced to the United States market in 1960 by Squibb under the name Broxodent. General Electric followed in 1961 with its
rechargeable cordless model. Although it seemed like an odd idea to many people at the time, the electric toothbrush was an
immediate success.
Source: Travers, B., ed., World of Invention, Gale, (1994) p. 635.
Years ago dental professionals only recommended the flat planed toothbrush such as the one below. This was due to the fact that the technology did not exist to "end round" the tips of each individual bristle. End rounded bristle cause the least trauma to the oral tissues and therefore are recommended. Now we have the technology to make toothbrushes in a verity of shapes and sizes and still be within the guidelines that dental professionals recommend.
