People today spend a lot of effort on keeping their smiles healthy, from brushing and flossing to straightening and whitening. Straight, pearly white teeth are the current vogue. Dental care, on the other hand, has a vast history that dates back to the start of civilization.
Ancient ways of cleaning teeth
Before the advertisement of dental care, prehistoric humans had exceptionally few dental disorders. According to scientists, this is due to their diet, comprised of uncooked fibrous foods that help them clean their teeth while eating. However, as people progressed, so did the food on the menu. People realized they would eventually have dental problems if they didn’t care for their teeth.
Early humans cleaned their teeth by picking at them with porcupine quills, animal bones, and tree twigs, according to archaeology.
Mesopotamians used chew sticks to clean their teeth as early as 3,500 BCE. The Egyptians and the Chinese have also used them.
Tooth Decay
Tooth rotting was always a concern for ancient humans. The first scientific theories about its causes, on the other hand, date back at least 5,000 years to Ancient Sumeria. Cavities were thought to be generated by a critter known as the tooth worm, which wore holes in teeth,
Cavities can resemble the types of holes worms make in other materials, such as wood. The tooth worm was believed by the Sumerians, Greeks, Egyptians, Chinese, Japanese, and Indians. As late as the 14th century, some European doctors were still advising patients that worms were the source of tooth decay.
First Toothbrush
Though no one knows when individuals first started brushing their teeth, archaeologists believe it began around 3,000 BCE. The Babylonians and Egyptians were the first civilizations to invent toothbrushes, mostly made of twigs.
Under the Tang dynasty, the first bristle toothbrush was invented in China during the 7th and 10th centuries. It was formed of hog bristles, which would have been linked to a bone or bamboo handle.
These were eventually transported to the West by explorers. They began to be adopted in Europe in the 17th century.
New Trend
In today’s world, a bright smile with straight white teeth is considered the dental ideal. To accomplish the look, they would employ braces and whiteners. However, most people are unaware that this is a relatively new trend.
The popularity of this style can only be traced up to the twentieth century, mainly influenced by Hollywood films. In the 1940s, a cosmetic dentist named Marcus Pincus produced veneers, which started the fad. Shirley Temple and Judy Garland, known for their flawless smiles, were among the first to notice it.
While it wasn’t until the 1980s that mass-market teeth whitening solutions became popular, teeth whitening isn’t a new concept.
