Toothbrush

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Three toothbrushes

A child being shown how to use a toothbrush.

The toothbrush is an instrument used to clean teeth, consisting of a small brush on a handle. Toothpaste, often containing fluoride, is commonly added to a toothbrush to aid in cleaning. Toothbrushes are offered with varying textures of bristles, and come in many different sizes and forms. Most dentists recommend using a toothbrush labelled "Soft", since firmer bristled toothbrushes can damage enamel and irritate gums. Toothbrushes are often made from synthetic materials, although natural toothbrushes are also known in many parts of the world.

1 Brushing the teeth
2 History
3 Electric Toothbrushes
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Brushing the teeth

When brushing the teeth, one first applies toothpaste to the bristles of the toothbrush. Then, while holding the handle, rubs the bristles across all the surfaces of each tooth.

The American Dental Association recommends the following[1][2][3]:

Brush twice daily and floss or use an interdental cleaner once per day.
Use a pea sized dollop of toothpaste.
Hold the brush at a 45 degree angle to the teeth.
Brush back and forth with tooth wide strokes along the gum line with gentle pressure.
Use the end bristles to clean the inside of the front teeth with gentle up and down strokes.

Vigorous motion, side-to-side brushing across all the teeth, and rubbing the teeth or gums with the shaft of the toothbrush are not recommended, as these motions are not effective in cleaning and can damage the gums.

When brushing, the toothpaste forms a foam, which should be rinsed out with water.

The brush should be replaced every 3 to 4 months, because the bristles get worn in usage. To prevent the spread of pathogens, it is advised to not share your toothbrush with anyone else.

Most dentists recommend that teeth be brushed at least twice a day, preferably after eating. Also, an electric toothbrush can be used instead of a manual brush, which tends to accomplish more massaging and scrubbing, and can also be softer on the teeth and gums. A dentist or dental hygienist can teach and demonstrate proper brushing techniques.

Brushing the teeth is the most important part of oral hygiene, but there are others, such as flossing the gaps a toothbrush cannot clean, and regular visits to the dentist.

[edit] History

A photo from 1899 showing the use of toothbrush

A variety of oral hygiene measures have been used since before recorded history. This has been verified by various excavations done all over the world, in which toothpicks, chewsticks, tree twigs, linen strips, birds' feathers, animal bones and porcupine quills were recovered. The first toothbrush is believed to have been invented in China. In the Muslim world, the miswak or siwak made from a twig or root with antiseptic properties is widely used. Rubbing baking soda or chalk against the teeth was also common.

William Addis, England, is credited with creating the first mass-produced toothbrush in 1780. In 1770 he had been placed in jail for causing a riot. While in prison, he decided that the method for teeth brushing of the time - rubbing a rag on one's teeth - could be improved. So he took a small animal bone, drilled small holes in it, obtained some bristles from a guard, tied them in tufts, then passed the bristles through the holes on the bone and glued them.

The first patent for a toothbrush was by H. N. Wadsworth in 1850 in the United States, but mass production of the product in America only started in 1885. The rather advanced design had a bone handle with holes bored into it for the Siberian Boar hair bristles. (Boar wasn't an ideal material; it retained bacteria, it didn't dry well, and the bristles would often fall out of the brush).

It wasn't until World War II that the concept of brushing teeth really caught on in the U.S., in part due to the fact that it was part of American soldiers' regular daily duty to clean their teeth. It was a practice that they brought back to their home life after the conclusion of the war.

Natural bristles (from animal hair) were replaced by synthetic materials, usually nylon, by DuPont in 1938. The first nylon bristle toothbrush, made with nylon yarn, went on sale on February 24, 1938.

The first electric toothbrush, the Broxodent, was introduced by Squibb Pharmaceutical at the centennial of the American Dental Association in 1959.

In January 2003, the toothbrush was selected as the number one invention Americans could not live without, beating out the automobile, computer, cell phone, and microwave, according to the Lemelson-MIT Invention Index. [4]

[edit] Electric Toothbrushes

Electric toothbrush (with charger)

Main article: Electric toothbrush

The first electric toothbrush was developed in 1939 in Switzerland, but did not appear on the open market until the 1960s, when it was marketed as the Broxodent in the United States by Squibb.^{[citation needed]} In 1961, General Electric introduced a rechargeable cordless toothbrush that moved up and down when activated.^{[citation needed]}

In 1987, the first rotary action toothbrush for home use, the Interplak, appeared in shops for the general public.^{[citation needed]} There are currently many different varieties of model that use this mechanism. Research shows that they tend to be somewhat (but not extremely) more effective at removing plaque and preventing gingival bleeding than manual toothbrushes.^{[citation needed]}