Origin of the Toothbrush

ORIGIN OF THE TOOTHBRUSHThe first toothbrush used by ancients was the “chew stick” a pencil size twig with one end frayed to a soft fibrous like brush. Chew sticks were initially rubbed against the teeth with no toothpaste, and have been found in Egyptian tombs dating to 3000 BC and back to 3500 BC, where Babylonians also used “chewing sticks”. Additionally, there is mention of primitive toothpicks being chewed to clean the teeth and mouth in ancient Rome and Greece. Toothpicks matured into the chew stick which was about the size of a modern pencil. One end was chewed to soften it into a brush-like fiber, while the opposite end was pointed and used to pick food and debris from between the teeth. The twigs were chosen from aromatic trees that had the ability to clean and freshen the…