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A smile is the main form of communication throughout the world. Ever since the beginning of mankind, people have been fixated on ways to keep teeth bright, white and clean. Some of the early methods are pretty basic but our ancestors certainly paved the way for modern dental and oral hygiene. Let’s see what led up to man’s fixation with teeth whitening.

The first ever toothbrushes were used in 3000 BC. These comprised of small branches that were scuffed at one end. People rubbed them on their teeth to get rid of food particles and other debris. In the 1400s the first toothbrush was invented by the Chinese. These had bamboo handles and hog hair bristles. They caught the attention of European traders who introduced them to many cultures.

It was only when French bacteriologist, Louis Pasteur, discovered germs that people realized that an animal’s bristles could cause infection. While many efforts were made to invent a more hygienic substitute, it was only in 1935 when Wallace Corothers discovered nylon that the answer was found.

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 noteworthy year for oral hygiene when the Squibb Company proudly presented the electric toothbrush. Endorsed by the American Dental Association, the electric toothbrush became more refined with each passing year. The modern versions are battery powered, sonic powered, or cordless.

Teeth whitening began with the Egyptians in 2000 BC. They concocted a substance using wine vinegar and powdered pumice stone which was applied to the teeth with a chew stick. If you think that sounds awful, the Romans were even worse – they used human urine. Roman doctors were convinced that urine had teeth whitening properties.

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.

During the 1800s Italian dentists discovered that fluoride could remove discolorations on teeth. This began a move in the 1840s to get children to suck sweetened fluoride lozenges. The results were so good that fluoride was added to drinking water and put in toothpastes and mouthwashes because it also reduced tooth decay. Unfortunately it was later learned that fluoride actually caused discoloration of the teeth in adult years.

So here we are in the 21st Century and we are still trying to get the perfect smile with pearly white teeth. The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry reports a 300 percent increase in the number of whitening and bleaching procedures done over the past 5 years. These are much safer and more effective than the unsophisticated methods of yesteryear!

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.

Tags: brace, cavity, cosmetic, dental, dentist, dentistry, Health, Insurance, pain, teeth, tooth, whitening

This entry was posted on Monday, March 15th, 2010 at 9:57 am and is filed under Insurance. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.