HISTORY OF TOOTHPASTE

Ever wonder where toothpaste and mouthwash came from? Have you ever thought about what people used for
toothpaste before the invention of Crest, Colgate or Aquafresh? (North American brand name toothpastes). Below
are some interesting, point form facts and recipes that may help satisfy your curiosity - or spur it on!!

Back in the Days of Buddha....

The activity of keeping the mouth clean dates all the way back to the religious figure Buddha. It has been recorded
that he would use a "tooth stick" from the God Sakka as part of his personal hygiene regimen.

In 23 - 79 AD the practice of oral hygiene included:

• Drinking goats milk for sweet breath

• Ashes from burnt mice heads, rabbits heads, wolves heads, ox heels and goats feet were thought to
benefit the gums. (This probably wouldn't go over very well today)
• Picking the bones out of wolves excrement and wearing them (maybe in the form of a necklace?) was
considered to be a form of protection against toothaches.
• Washing your teeth with the blood from a tortoise three times a year was a sure bet against toothaches
as well.
• Mouthwashes were known to consist of pure white wine, or (get ready for this one) old urine kept
especially for this purpose.

The 18th Century

The earliest record of an actual toothpaste was in 1780 and included scrubbing the teeth with a formula containing
burnt bread. (A common North American breakfast)

Other toothpastes around this time called for:

• 1 1/2 oz. dragons blood (So that's where they all went!!)
• 1 1/2 oz. cinnamon
• 1 oz. burnt alum

Beat the above ingredients together and use every second day.

The 19th Century

• In the 19th century, charcoal became very popular for teeth cleaning purposes.
• Most toothpastes at this time were in the form of a powder.
• The purpose of the tooth powder was not only to clean the teeth, but to give fresh breath. (Hmmm....that
idea isn't so outdated!!)
• The succulent strawberry (still available today) was considered to be a "natural" solution for preventing
tartar and giving fresh breath.
• In 1855, the Farmers Almanac included this recipe for an appropriate toothpaste:
1 oz. myrrh (fine powder)
2 spoonfuls of your best honey (This does not refer to your significant other!!)
A pinch of green sage

Mix together and use every night on wet teeth.

• Another toothpaste included:

2 oz. cuttlefish bone
1 oz. cream of tartar
2 drachms drop lake
 15 drops clover oil

Powder, mix, sift.

The 20th Century

• Liquid cleansers (mouth rinses) and pastes became more popular, often containing chlorophyll to give a
fresh green color.
• Bleeding gums became a concern as well as aching teeth.
• In 1915 leaves from certain trees in South East Asia (Eucalyptus) were beginning to be used in
mouthwash formulas.

So....what's in the toothpaste of the 90s?

• sodium monofluorophosphate (not to be confused with MSG)

• color
• flavoring
• fluoride
• foaming agents
• detergents
• humectants (prevent the paste from hardening)
• Herbal toothpastes have gained popularity for people looking for a "natural" toothpaste or for those who
don't want fluoride in their dental cleansers. Some herbal toothpastes contain:
peppermint oil
myrrh
plant extract (strawberry extract)
special oils and cleansing agents

Hey, didn't we see these ingredients in the toothpastes of the early 19th century?

And the 21st Century....

Your guess is as good as ours!! If the trends of the 20th century continue we should see more toothpastes that
whiten and brighten the teeth, are canker sore friendly, and give you the ultimate brushing or rinsing experience.

The more things change, the more they stay the same!
The ancient Egyptian recipe for toothpaste
The world's oldest-known formula for toothpaste, used more than 1,500 years before Colgate began marketing the
first commercial brand in 1873, has been discovered on a piece of dusty papyrus in the basement of a Viennese
museum.
In faded black ink made of soot and gum arabic mixed with water, an ancient Egyptian scribe has carefully
described what he calls a "powder for white and perfect teeth".
When mixed with saliva in the mouth, it forms a "clean tooth paste".
According to the document, written in the fourth century AD, the ingredients needed for the perfect smile are one
drachma of rock salt - a measure equal to one hundredth of an ounce - two drachmas of mint, one drachma of
dried iris flower and 20 grains of pepper, all of them crushed and mixed together.
The result is a pungent paste which one Austrian dentist who tried it said made his gums bleed but was a "big
improvement" on some toothpaste formulae used as recently as a century ago.