Toothpaste

Toothpaste is a paste or gel dentifrice used to clean and improve the aesthetic appearance and health of teeth. It is almost always used in conjunction with a toothbrush. more...

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Toothpaste use can promote good oral hygiene: it can aid in the removal of dental plaque and food from the teeth, it can aid in the elimination and/or masking of halitosis, and it can deliver active ingredients such as fluoride to prevent tooth and gums (Gingiva) disease. Most people in developed countries consider toothpaste a necessity and use it every day.

History

It is believed that first traces of oral hygiene were found to be dated around 5000 years ago in Egypt, China, Mongolia and India.

India has a long history of Ayurveda, an indian form of medicine. Neem twigs (a.k.a. daatun) were used for brushing teeth in India. This practice is perhaps one of the earliest and most effective forms of dental care and is still prevalent in villages in India. The usage is simple: you chew one end of the neem twig until it somewhat resembles the bristles of a toothbrush, and then use it to brush your teeth. The tooth brush seems to have its origins in the daatun.

The earliest known reference to a toothpaste is in a manuscript from Egypt in the 4th century A.D., which prescribes a mixture of powdered salt, pepper, mint leaves, and iris flowers. The Romans used toothpaste formulations based on human urine. An 18th century American toothpaste recipe containing burnt bread has been found. Another formula around this time called for dragon's blood (a resin), cinnamon, and burnt alum.

However, toothpastes or powders did not come into general use until the 19th century in Britain. In the early 1800s, the toothbrush was usually used only with water, but tooth powders soon gained popularity. Most were home made, with chalk, pulverized brick, and salt being common ingredients. An 1866 Home Encyclopedia recommended pulverized charcoal, and cautioned that many patented tooth powders then commercially marketed did more harm than good.

In 1892, Dr. Washington Sheffield of New London, Connecticut manufactured toothpaste into a collapsible tube. Sheffield's toothpaste was called Dr. Sheffield's Creme Dentifrice. He first came up with the idea of toothpaste in a collapsible tube after his son travelled to Paris and saw painters using paint from tubes. In 1896, Colgate Dental Cream was packaged in collapsible tubes imitating Sheffield.

Read more at Wikipedia.org