Teeth Whitening Through The Ages
Smiling is the number one form of universal communication. Since the human species began, women and men have been fanatical in their efforts to have clean teeth and a sparkling smile. While some of the methods of yesteryear were crude to say the least, they served as a foundation for oral and dental hygiene as we know it today. Here’s a brief but interesting history about teeth whitening.
The first tooth brushes go back to 3000 BC which our forefathers called ‘chew sticks’. They were tiny branches with a frayed piece at the one end. They rubbed these on the teeth to remove particles. The first toothbrushes with hog hair bristles were used by the Chinese in the 1400s. European traders acquired a supply of these, took them home, and gradually many countries and cultures began using hog hair toothbrushes.
Hog hair toothbrushes were used until Louis Pasteur discovered bacteria. This led to people realizing that animal bristles were the cause of gum infections. Science continued it the quest to find a more sterile substitute and success finally came when Wallace Corothers made the ground breaking discovery of nylon in 1935.
Dr West’s Miracle Tuft Toothbrush was the result. A leading company, du Pont, started to market this product right through America. The public was told about the drawbacks of hog hair and the many advantages of nylon. The only problem was that the ‘miracle’ toothbrush was so rigid that it harmed gums. Dentists wanted nothing to do with them. Du Pont continued its efforts and 20 years later, the soft-bristled nylon Park Avenue toothbrush was launched.
1961 was a year of acclaim in the dental world when the Squibb Company launched the very first electric toothbrush which was approved by the American Dental Association. Technology increased rapidly and, over the ensuing years, the electric toothbrush developed rapidly. Today we have battery operated ones, cordless ones and even sonic ones.
The first records of teeth whitening show that the Egyptians were the first to attempt this process. As far back as 2000 BC they would rub their teeth with a mix of wine vinegar and ground pumice stone. Not very pleasant! But even worse were the Romans who used human urine to whiten their teeth.
History shows that it wasn’t dentists who offered teeth whitening to the public. It was in fact barbers who were often asked to extract rotting teeth. After filing the teeth, they would apply a caustic acid as a whitener. It proved to be effective but, in the process, the enamel was destroyed.
Italian dentists discovered in the 1800s that tooth discolorations could be removed with fluoride. Parents were encouraged to let their children suck on candy that contained fluoride. The results were so pleasing that fluoride was added to mouthwashes, toothpastes and even to drinking water. Years later it was discovered that fluoride was responsible for adult tooth discoloration.
Here we are now in the 21st Century and mankind is still making efforts to get the ultimate smile with teeth whitening procedures and products. According to the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry there has been an increase of 300 percent in the last five years in the number of bleaching and whitening procedures. These are a far cry from methods used by our ancestors!
Invisalign braces Toronto is an inexpensive way to straighten and enhance your smile dramatically. Cosmetic dentist Toronto offers various tooth whitening options to help you achieve the look that you want.



