You may have wondered the origins of toothpaste, and how different it is now, as opposed to centuries ago. Read on to learn about the history of toothpaste, including what ingredients used to be in the paste.
Toothpaste dates to Egyptian times, around the year 5000 B.C, when they started using a paste to clean their teeth – way before toothbrushes were invented or even dentists! Greeks and Romans, in ancient times, used home-made paste, and people in India and China, began introducing it around the 500 B.C. Toothpaste of ancient origins was used like how we use it now, but far removed of all the many kinds and brands of today. Still, toothpaste was used back then, as it is now, to keep teeth clean, fresh, and whitened.
Ingredients in ancient toothpaste vary widely than what we use today, as well. For example:
– The powder of ox hooves’ ashes and burnt eggshells were combined with pumice for Egyptians.
– An abrasive toothpaste was made from crushed bones, and oyster shells were used with the Romans and Greeks, with Romans added flavoring, such as powdered charcoal and bark.
– The herb Ginseng and herbal mints, and salts were also used, as well as other ingredients, as a paste for the Chinese.
The 1800’s came with its own versions, containing soap, with the 1850’s introducing chalk. Betel nut was included in toothpaste in England, around the same time, and in the 1860’s, ground charcoal was a home-made toothpaste mentioned in the encyclopedia. Before the 1850’s, toothpastes were typically made with powders. Créme Dentifrice, the first toothpaste made by The Sheffield Dentifrice Co, was first developed in 1873, with Colgate being the company who mass-produced it in jars. The tubes came out in 1890’s, and as they say, the rest is history.
With the many changes to toothpaste, one thing has never changed: toothpaste is crucial for clean and healthy teeth. At Richard J. Gawarzewski DMD, PA, we would love to discuss with you, oral hygiene, including the right toothpaste in Berlin, New Jersey. We welcome your call to our dental team at 856-767-0053 for an appointment with our dentist, Dr. Richard J. Gawarzewski.