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Timeline of the Toothbrush

  • First toothbrush
    3000 BCE

    First toothbrush

    Babylonians and Egyptians cleaned their teeth with the frayed ends of twigs. The toothbrushes were found in Egyptian tombs.
  • Chewing stick
    970 BCE

    Chewing stick

    The Ancient Chinese people from the Tang dynasty designed the first toothbrush to have bristles. They were made using natural resources such as pig hair, bone and bamboo. The handle of it was made out of bamboo or bone.
  • European Toothbrush

    European Toothbrush

    William Addis invented his own version of the toothbrush and sold it in Europe. Pig hair was attached to a special carved cow bone.
  • First toothpaste

    First toothpaste

    Toothpaste was invented but it was not like the one used everyday in 2023. It was in a powder form, it contained soap, chalk, charcoal or betel nut.
  • Three Row Toothbrush

    Three Row Toothbrush

    The toothbrush William Addis invented was further developed when three rows were added to it.
  • First Liquid Toothpaste

    First Liquid Toothpaste

    Colgate released the first liquid toothpaste in a jar. Soap was added in with all the other ingredients.
  • Toothpaste in a Tube

    Toothpaste in a Tube

    Colgate released the toothpaste in a tube as like people use today.
  • Fluoride Added to Toothpaste

    Fluoride Added to Toothpaste

    A fluoride toothpaste was invented to help with decay.
  • Nylon Invented

    Nylon Invented

    Wallace Carothers and his team of chemists created super-polymer which was afterwards called nylon
  • The First Electric Toothbrush

    The First Electric Toothbrush

    The first electric toothbrush was made.
  • Nylon Bristles

    Nylon Bristles

    Nylon bristles were later incorporated in the design of the toothbrush.
  • Softer Bristles

    Softer Bristles

    Softer bristles were made available for toothbrushes.
  • Modern Day Electric toothbrush

    Modern Day Electric toothbrush

    Ultrasonic electric toothbrushes use ultrasonic waves to clean the teeth more than the bristles of the brush head. To be classified as ultrasonic, the brush had to give off a wave of 20,000Hz or 2,400,000 movements per minute, considerably more than the very popular sonic technology.
  • Present Day

    Present Day

    Now toothbrushes come in many different sizes, people even have the choice to have a manual or electronic. They are usually made from plastic with moulded grips and soft nylon bristles for brushes. Toothpaste also come in many different tubes and formulas.