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The Toothbrush is an oral hygiene instrument used to clean the teeth and consist of a head of tightly clustered bristles mounted on a handle, which facilitates the cleaning of hard-to-reach areas of the mouth.

Toothpick is a small stick of wood, plastic, or other substance used to remove detritus from the teeth usually after a meal. A toothpick usually has one or two sharp ends to insert between teeth. Toothpaste Toothpick Toothpaste is a paste or gel dentifrice used with a toothbrush as an accessory to clean and maintain the health of teeth Dental Floss Dental Floss is either a bundle of thin nylon filaments or a plastic ribbon used to remove food and dental plaque from teeth.

The history of the toothbrush goes back as early as 3500 BC. The earliest relatives of the toothbrush could be the 'chewing sticks' used by the Babylonians and Egyptians. The toothbrush as we know it today was not invented until However, early forms of the toothbrush have been in existence since 3000 BC. Ancient civilizations used a chew stick, which was a thin twig with a frayed end.

The bristle toothbrush, similar to the type used today, was not invented until 1498 in China. The bristles were actually the stiff, coarse hairs taken from the back of a Siberian hog's neck and attached to handles made of bone or bamboo.

I NFLUENCE & E FFECT When it was brought from China to Europe, the boar bristles & bamboo/ bone handle design was adapted and they often used softer horsehairs which many Europeans preferred. Other designs in Europe used feathers.

The first mass-produced toothbrush was made by William Addis of Clerkenwald, England, around The first American to patent a toothbrush was H. N. Wadsworth, (patent number 18,653,) on Nov. 7, Mass production of toothbrushes began in America around During 1770, incarcerated in a cell of England's Newgate Prison for provoking a riot, William Addis, G.B. had little to do but eat, sleep, think. One day he saved a small bone from the meat he'd been served. He bored tiny holes in the bone, then acquired some hard bristles through his prison guard, cut them down, tied them into tufts, put glue on the ends, and wedged them into the holes in the bone. This was the first 3-row bristle toothbrush for the new century.

Natural bristles were the only source of bristles until French, Du Pont invented nylon (polymer). The invention of nylon started the development of the truly modern toothbrush in February 28,1938, and by the 1950s softer nylon bristles were being made. The first electric toothbrush was made in 1939 and the first electric toothbrush in the US was the Broxodent in 1960.

H UMAN I NGENUITY & H EALTH + I NTERACTION In Society Today, The Use Of The Toothbrush Has Changed. As Technology Evolved The Materials Of The Toothbrush Have Changed. From Chew Sticks & Cloth To Nylon Brushes & Floss. The Toothbrush Is A Way For People To Keep Clean, Healthy Teeth. It Has Also Developed Into Easier Ways For Use With Electric Ones And Toothpaste. The Toothbrush Is Very Important When It Comes To Oral Hygiene.

B IBLIOGRAPHY Toothbrush: /HistoryToothbrushesToothpastes.cvsp /HistoryToothbrushesToothpastes.cvsp Photos: