3. Before I added soap, toothpaste had gone through many different phases and included a lot of ingredients that we would think are GROSS today! I want to share with you the evolution of toothpaste! Did you know that the oldest recipe for toothpaste is from Ancient Egypt, the 4 th century AD, and included 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!!!!! It made your gums bleed, but your teeth clean! I added SOAP to toothpaste in the year 1824!
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6. The activity of keeping the mouth clean dates all the way back to the religious figure Buddha.
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8. The Chinese constructed natural bristled brushes from the hair of Siberian wild boars, affixing them to bone or bamboo handles Soft sticks were chewed at one end to create a brush and sharpened at the other end as a toothpick. The Chinese would even use specific aromatic plant species to leave a fresh taste in their mouths
9. The earliest record of an actual toothpaste was in 1780 and included scrubbing the teeth with a formula containing burnt bread. Other toothpastes around this time called for: 1 1/2 oz. dragons blood 1 1/2 oz. cinnamon1 oz. burnt alum Beat the above ingredients together and use every second day. To keep the Dentist away!?!?! Toothpaste came in a ceramic pot and was available either as a powder or paste. The rich applied it with brushes and the poor with their fingers.
10. A dentist called Peabody was the first to add soap to toothpaste in 1824. Chalk was first added to toothpaste by John Harris in the 1850s. In 1873, toothpaste was first mass-produced nice smelling toothpaste in a jar. In 1892, Dr. Washington Sheffield of Connecticut was the first to put toothpaste into a collapsible tube. Sheffield's toothpaste was called Dr. Sheffield's Creme Dentifrice. HERE IS WHERE I COME IN
11. The 19th century saw 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. The succulent strawberry 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 A pinch of green sage Mix together and use every night on wet teeth. We use charcoal for fire!!
12. The 1960's saw the introduction of fluoride into toothpaste. This development was followed in the 1980's with the addition of soluble calcium fluoride to fluoride toothpastes. It is therefore within the last thirty years that toothpastes contains the two ingredients - calcium and fluoride. In 1915 leaves from certain trees in South East Asia (Eucalyptus) were beginning to be used in mouthwash formulas 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. Wow what improvements!
13. So....what's in the toothpaste of today? sodium monofluorophosphate 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 I’d say we’ve come full circle!
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