One of the most common everyday items that we often neglect is our toothbrushes. This article will explore the history of toothbrushes and what the future has in store.

Early Forms of Toothbrushes

The earliest records of toothbrushes were unearthed and dated as far as 3,000 BC. These artifacts are from geologic finds in the Egyptian and Babylonian civilizations. The toothbrushes discovered from these periods are called “chew sticks”. These clever toothbrushes are from the thin branches of trees. To produce a chew stick, the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians chew a thin twig to produce a frayed end.  The frayed end serves as the bristles of the brush.  Early civilizations believe that the stems have antiseptic and healing qualities. Rubbing the chew stick to the teeth makes the teeth clean. Around 1600 BC, the Chinese people developed their version of chew sticks. They made their chew sticks from aromatic twigs to help freshen breath. Some indigenous people are still using the same process today. Other modern-day tribes even believe that they are better than typical toothbrushes. This is due to the enzymes and chemicals from the trees that help clean the teeth.

The bristle toothbrush, like the ones we are using today, was not invented until 1438 in China. To produce the bristle, they used the coarse hair from the back of a hog’s neck. These were then attached to a bamboo handle and used to brush the teeth.

The Toothbrushes that We Know Today

The boar bristle toothbrush continued its fame until 1938. After the boar bristle came the nylon ones. Dupont de Nemours introduced the first nylon bristles to the market. The first nylon toothbrush ever invented is called Doctor West’s Miracle Toothbrush. It was also claimed that the Americans started the regular use of toothbrushes. This is influenced by the disciplined hygiene habits of their soldiers in World War II. Today, Americans spend over US$850 million a year on toothbrushes.

In the modern world, choices of toothbrushes are plenty. You can find almost any type that suits your preference. There are still nylon toothbrushes that dominate the market. Infusing minerals into toothbrushes adds more benefits. Some include Himalayan salt extracts or charcoal essence for their cleaning properties. You can also choose the type of bristles that you want. Some manufacturers offer criss-cross bristles. These types of toothbrushes claim to reach the deepest parts of your gums. Some toothbrushes even have very thin bristles. This will help clean all the nooks and crannies of your teeth.

But, the most advanced type of toothbrush involves the electric ones. The first type of electric toothbrushes entered the market in 1960. The first electric toothbrush – called the Broxodent – was invented in Switzerland in 1954. Today, they have reached new heights compared to their predecessors. Before, electric toothbrushes usually used disposable dry cell batteries. This is a luxury that only those with spare money could afford. The development of technology and mass production made this product accessible to anyone. It also made it more affordable.

Is Electric the Future of Toothbrushes?

Some people prefer to use an electric toothbrush over a manual one. Electric toothbrushes produce vibration and circular motion to clean the teeth. The electric toothbrush seems to offer more cleaning power than what you will get on the manual type. Environmentally-conscious individuals will also find the electric toothbrush to be better. When it is time to replace the bristles, you do not have to buy a whole new toothbrush. You will only replace the tip. Also, modern lithium-ion batteries make these toothbrushes last longer. Modern batteries hold more power and need less charging than the dry-cell type. This will help prolong the lifespan of each toothbrush. It is estimated that 20-25 percent of people use electric toothbrushes. But electric toothbrushes have not outdone traditional toothbrushes yet. But they are becoming more popular for several reasons.

It is true that electric toothbrushes are better in many ways. But the traditional toothbrush is still the best option for most people. Many prefer manual toothbrushes because they are always accessible and more affordable.

We have come a long way with our toothbrushes. In the last century alone, we went from coarse boar hair to the fancy materials available today. So what might the future hold for our toothbrushes?

What the Future Looks Like for Toothbrushes

Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2020 shows the newest consumer technologies. Two big names in the oral hygiene industry showed promising technologies at CES 2020. These innovations might pave the way for how our future tooth brushing might look.

Oral-B has a long reputation for providing quality health care products. In CES 2020, they presented Oral-B IO. This electric toothbrush features a magnetic drive that reduces noise. The toothbrush also has a mobile application powered by artificial intelligence. The app will help improve your oral hygiene by analyzing your brushing habits. Storing the data in the app for you to review anytime makes the Oral-B IO a magnificent innovation.

Colgate takes the smart toothbrush competition a little bit further. They offer similar features to the Oral-B IO. But, Colgate included a plaque-detecting mechanism to their aptly named Colgate Plaqless Pro. The brush head of this intelligent toothbrush includes a special sensor. When it detects plaque, the light will appear blue. When you have removed the plaque on a particular part of your teeth, the light turns white. Then you can move forward to cleaning other areas of your mouth. The Plaqless Pro, according to Colgate, is the first of its kind in the market.

One more worthy opponent to the first two mentioned innovations is the “Y-brush.” You might have seen this weird-looking gadget in one of your online shopping. The Y-Brush is a mouthpiece form of a toothbrush. It claims to clean all your teeth in as quick as 10 seconds.  This challenges the long-held standard of at least two minutes of brushing. We got used to brushing for two minutes to remove all plaque and kill most bacteria. The Y-brush does this in a shorter time because it can reach all your teeth all at once. But, it is still undergoing clinical trials to check if it is as effective as it claims in cleaning your mouth. So, hold on to your toothbrush just yet.

Takeaway

Whether we like it or not, oral hygiene is always going to be part of our lives. For most of us, brushing our teeth might be something that we want to and have to do. But cleaning our mouths every day seems like a chore to do for others. Adding the “smart” component to this activity might help us improve our oral hygiene.  Analytics and other helpful information also help in having good oral health. The future of tooth brushing is clearly going down this path.