History of Teeth Whitening

Teeth Whitening for aesthetic purposes has been dated back to the Ancient Egyptians, where a mixture of grounded pumice and white or red wine vinegar was brushed on to the teeth with a rudimentary toothbrush.

The ancient Romans believed that by using human urine it kept their teeth white and firmly in place, this practice has been carried on throughout the centuriesuntil finally dying out in the eighteenth century.

During the middle ages teeth whitening was done by barbers, who would file down the teeth and then use nitric acid on the teeth. As you can imagine this was a very dangerous procedure, and in a lot of cases caused massive damage to the teeth.

If we look more deeper than teeth whitening for aesthetic purposes, and look at the history of teeth hygeine and cleaning. We know that toothbrushes have been used in China since 3000 BC, they were not what we know as toothbrushes today, and they didn’t call them toothbrushes. They called them “chew sticks”.

These chew sticks, were actually a small branch, with one end flattened and then it was frayed out.They would then use it to brush their teeth and to scrape off any bits of food etc.

The first toothbrushes with bristles, similar to what we use today, were first used in China around 1496. These clandenstine toothbrushes were made from either a straight piece of bone or bamboo and the bristles were made from the tough hair of Siberian hogs necks.

During the same period, Europeans were not very good at brushing their teeth. Only the upper class did so, and they used soft horse hair toothbrushes. Or they followed the old Roman custom of picking their teeth after a meal, using brass or silver toothpicks.

It wasn’t until Louis Pasteur,the French chemist and biologist in the 1860's, introduced the idea of bacteria and germs, that people took any notice of what they were putting into their mouths. People became very concerned about these germs and bacteria and the fact that they were using animal hair in their mouths that was already ridden with bacteria from the animal itself.

It would be nearly 80 years before a hygenic solution would be found to this problem - the nylon bristle toothbrush!

When Du Pont discovered nylon in 1938, they found all kinds of uses for it. It was tough, stiff, resilient, resistant to wear and tear, moisture-proof (so it didn’t stay wet and collect bacteria) – it was perfect for the bristles on a toothbrush.

The first synthetic toothbrush was Dr. West's Miracle Tuft Toothbrush. It was manufactured by Dupont de Nemours and Company and first went on sale in September 1938.

Unfortunately, the first nylon was very stiff and damaged people’s gums. By 1950, Du Pont had developed soft nylon, and their new offering to the public was the Park Avenue Toothbrush – an expensive, but much more comfortable model.

In the early 1960's, electric was applied to the toothbrush. The first electric toothbrush came onto the market it was developed and marketed by Squibb. This electric toothbrush automatically brushed up and down, which met with the blessing of the American Dental Association (ADA).

Sometime later General Electric took this concept one step further and invented the cordless battery-operated toothbrush that could be recharged.Things since then have developed at a rapid pace and many different manufacturers have marketed many different types of electric toothbrushes including a sonic version.

So their you have it, a quick guide to teeth whitening throughout history.

In todays modern times more and more people are conscious of their smile and more importantly the whiteness of their teeth. White teeth give people more confidence in life. Teeth whitening is a massive booming business and the teeth whitening strips are the most popular form of teeth whitening. Results are seen within 3 days. Course of treatment is only 14 days and the teeth whitening can be applied in the comfort and privacy of your own home.

Give it a try, teeth whitening could be for you. Look on the left side of this page to gain a whiter, brighter smile!

ONLY £30 or 35€ or $48 US

History of Teeth Whitening