Interesting facts about toothbrushes
Did you know a toothbrush has its own monument? It was erected in Krefeld, a town in Germany, to commemorate this one of the greatest inventions of humanity. Actually, there is also a matching monument for toothpaste, you can find it on Cuba, at the Varadero resort.
The ancestor of our modern toothbrush was born in China, in 1498. The then ruling Emperor ordered his subjects to attach harsh bristle of a wild boar to a bamboo stick. A new contraption has gradually spread from China to countries all over the world reaching Europe in 17th century.
Englishman William Addis opened the first mass production of toothbrushes in 1780. There is a legend that Addis while in prison for inciting a rebellion managed to make a toothbrush for himself. He drilled small holes in a piece of bone and inserted tufts of bristle there. Where he acquired the bits and bobs for his toothbrush in a lock-up remains unknown, nevertheless first thing after his release the man founded the company Wisdom Toothbrushes (which is still up and running today). And the mass production of the hygienic device began.
The first toothbrush with synthetic (nylon) bristles was produced by Oral-B company in 1938.
Dr. George Scott patented the first electrical toothbrush in 1880. Sadly, it regularly electrocuted its users which stood in a way of the new device gaining popularity. The inventor believed there is nothing wrong with little electrocution, on the contrary, he saw it as a way to improve the health of teeth and oral cavity.
The next attempt to patent an electric toothbrush came in Switzerland in 1939. But soon the war broke out and the idea of production became all but forgotten for next 20 years. It became reality in 1959 on the other side of Atlantic. That toothbrush operated from power grid. Two years later American company General Electics made a toothbrush that runs on battery.
According to statistics, there were more than 3000 types of toothbrushes patented between early sixties and the end of the century.
All aspects of our life are full with high-technology nowadays. Toothbrush production is no exception here. So let’s see which of the toothbrushes are the most advanced and interesting!
Here the most effective toothbrushes:
Ion toothbrushes. This marvelous invention of the Japanese scientists uses the ion polarity to attract and remove plaque without using tooth paste and water! There are a lot of types of ion toothbrushes these days, some of them are even run on solar panels. Not only an ion toothbrush deals with plaque successfully but it has a lot of other advantages: improves state of gums; removes the bacteria and bad breath; has a positive effect on mucous membrane. The ion brush can be used even by those wearing fixed dental prosthesis or braces. It’s considered a number one among modern toothbrushes! By the way, it’s quite popular in Japan to have a camera attached to a toothbrush to monitor whether all the teeth are in a good shape.
Ultrasound toothbrushes: they were patented in USA in 1992. There is a small ultrasound generator inserted into a handle of such brush. The ultrasound removes the plaque. It’s highly effective and one can use it even wearing fixed braces.
The most unconventional toothbrushes:
A weeble-wobble toothbrush; it was invented by Chinese designers Hyun Jin Yoon and Eun Hak Lee. You don’t need to put such toothbrush in a glass because it stands on its own unsupported!
Self-disinfect toothbrush: it has a built-in ultra-violet generator which keeps it disinfected. Interesting though, this generator self-charges during the process of teeth-brushing.
I could go on and on about unorthodox and novel toothbrushes, there is always something new and ingenious in store for us. There are toothbrushes with a little hook on the handle to hung it on a glass. Or a cap-toothbrush to put it on your finger. Yeah, a little bit weird, but why not?
If you are an environmentalist there are bamboo toothbrushes, toothbrushes made from recycled materials or twig toothbrushes, the great-grandchildren of those first ancient ones.
You can find illuminated toothbrushes and toothbrushes that play tunes while in use; cylindrical-headed or X-shaped (for gums-massage); various toothbrushes for travelling: with toothpaste tube build-in, folding like a switch-blade, with toothpick and toungue-brush; left-handed toothbrushes, right-handed ones, etc. Can’t wait and see what will inventors think of next!
And one more thing: don’t forget to consult your dentist before choosing a toothbrush!
