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Encyclopedia > Toothbrush
Three toothbrushes
Three toothbrushes

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 tooth enamel and irritate gums as indicated by the American Dental Association.[citation needed] Toothbrushes are often made from synthetic fibers, although natural toothbrushes are also known in many parts of the world. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x3072, 167 KB) Summary Description: Image of a toothbrush in a cup. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x3072, 167 KB) Summary Description: Image of a toothbrush in a cup. ... Types of teeth Molars are used for grinding up foods Carnassials are used for slicing food. ... Paintbrush redirects here. ... Modern toothpaste gel Toothpaste is a paste or gel dentifrice used to clean and improve the aesthetic appearance and health of teeth. ... Fluoride is the ionic form of fluorine. ... X-rays can reveal if a person has cavities Dentistry is the practical application of knowledge of dental science (the science of placement, arrangement, function of teeth) to human beings. ... Tooth enamel is the hardest and most highly mineralized substance of the body , and with dentin, cementum, and dental pulp is one of the four major parts of the tooth. ... The gingiva (sing. ... The American Dental Association (ADA) is an American advocacy group that promotes Oral Health Care and the field of dentistry. ... Synthetic fibers are the result of extensive research by scientists to increase and improve upon the supply of naturally occurring animal and plant fibers that have been used in making cloth and rope. ...

Contents

History

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, strips of linen, bird feathers, animal bones and porcupine quills were recovered. The first modern idea of a toothbrush is believed to have been invented in China around 1600. However, many other peoples used different forms of toothbrushes. Ancient Indian medicine has used the neem tree and its products to create toothbrushes and similar products for millenia. 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. Oral hygiene is the practice of keeping the mouth clean. ... Wood toothpicks A Toothpick A toothpick is a piece of plastic or other substance such as wood (in this case it may be known as an interdental woodstick) used to remove detritus from the teeth, usually after a meal. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... A twig is a small terminal branch section that bears leaves, buds and usually the flowers and fruit of plants. ... Torn linen cloth, recovered from the Dead Sea Linen is a material made from the fibers of the flax plant. ... Two feathers Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds. ... Grays Anatomy illustration of a human femur. ... Genera Family Erethizontidae Coendou Sphiggurus Erethizon Echinoprocta Chaetomys Family Hystricidae Atherurus Hystrix Thecurus Trichys This article is about the rodent mammal. ... Ancient India may refer to: the ancient History of India, which generally includes the ancient history of the whole Indian subcontinent the legendary Kingdoms of Ancient India in Sanskrit literature the Iron Age Mahajanapadas the Middle kingdoms of India of Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages Category: ... Binomial name Azadirachta indica A.Juss. ... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... The miswak (miswaak, siwak) is a natural toothbrush made from the twigs of the Salvadora persica tree. ... An antiseptic solution of iodine applied to a cut Antiseptics (Greek αντί, against, and σηπτικός, putrefactive) are antimicrobial substances that are applied to living tissue/skin to reduce the possibility of infection, sepsis, or putrefaction. ... Sodium bicarbonate is the chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. ... The Needles,situated on the Isle Of Wight, are part of the extensive Southern England Chalk Formation. ...

A photo from 1899 showing the use of toothbrush.
A photo from 1899 showing the use of toothbrush.

William Addis of 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 with soot and salt – 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. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1351x1838, 245 KB) Who is the author, and when did that person die? Das Album, Paris und Leipzig. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1351x1838, 245 KB) Who is the author, and when did that person die? Das Album, Paris und Leipzig. ... Year 1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total 130... 1780 was a leap year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Look up rag, Rag in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Soot, also called lampblack, Pigment Black 7, carbon black or black carbon, is a dark powdery deposit of unburned fuel residues, usually composed mainly of amorphous carbon, that accumulates in chimneys, automobile mufflers and other surfaces exposed to smoke—especially from the combustion of carbon-rich organic fuels in the... For other uses, see Salt (disambiguation). ... Grays Anatomy illustration of a human femur. ...


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, however, 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.[citation needed] A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a state to a patentee for a fixed period of time in exchange for a disclosure of an invention. ... For the game, see: 1850 (board game) 1850 (MDCCCL) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday [1] of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1885 (MDCCCLXXXV) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... // Binomial name Sus scrofa Linnaeus, 1758 The Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig. ... Phyla Actinobacteria Aquificae Chlamydiae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Lentisphaerae Nitrospirae Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Verrucomicrobia Bacteria (singular: bacterium) are unicellular microorganisms. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

A child being shown how to use a toothbrush.
A child being shown how to use a toothbrush.

Natural bristles (from animal hair) were replaced by synthetic fibers, 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 the Bristol-Myers Company (now Bristol-Myers Squibb) at the centennial of the American Dental Association in 1959. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1145x799, 277 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Toothbrush Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1145x799, 277 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Toothbrush Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create... For the film, see Hair (film). ... Synthetic fibers are the result of extensive research by scientists to increase and improve upon the supply of naturally occurring animal and plant fibers that have been used in making cloth and rope. ... Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers first produced on February 28, 1935 by Wallace Carothers at DuPont. ... Dupont, DuPont, Du Pont, or du Pont may refer to: // E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, the worlds third largest chemical company Du Pont Motors Gilbert Dupont, a French stock brokerage part of retail banking network Crédit du Nord ST Dupont, a French manufacturer of fine... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... February 24 is the 55th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Electric toothbrush, made by Braun. ... Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY), colloquially referred to as BMS, is a pharmaceutical corporation, formed by a 1989 merger between pharmaceutical companies Bristol-Myers Company, founded in 1887 by William McLaren Bristol and John Ripley Myers in Clinton, NY (both were graduates of Hamilton College), and Squibb Corporation. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...


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 oven, according to the Lemelson-MIT Invention Index.[1] 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Karl Benzs Velo model (1894) - entered into the first automobile race An automobile (or motorcar; often simply car; also auto, motor) is a wheeled passenger vehicle that carries its own motor. ... The Altair 8800 was among the first microcomputers to be affordable by an individual, although it initially lacked peripherals and memory. ... Several mobile phones A mobile telephone or cellular telephone (commonly, mobile phone or cell phone) is a long-range, portable electronic device used for mobile communication. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into articles entitled Microwave oven and Microwave heating. ... Jerome Jerry Hal Lemelson (July 18, 1923 Staten Island, New York - October 1, 1997) was a prolific and controversial American inventor and patent holder. ... The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private, coeducational research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ...


Electric toothbrushes

Main article: Electric toothbrush
Electric toothbrush (with charger)

The first electric toothbrush was developed in 1939 in Scotland, 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] Electric toothbrush, made by Braun. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1704x2272, 230 KB) Description: Electric toothbrush, photo taken in Sweden Source: Photo taken by Jonas Bergsten using a Canon PowerShot G3. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1704x2272, 230 KB) Description: Electric toothbrush, photo taken in Sweden Source: Photo taken by Jonas Bergsten using a Canon PowerShot G3. ... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity Cha togar mfhearg gun dioladh (Scottish Gaelic) Wha daur meddle wi me?(Scots)1 Anthem (Multiple unofficial anthems) Scotlands location in Europe Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Monarch Queen Elizabeth II  -  First Minister... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY), colloquially referred to as BMS, is a pharmaceutical corporation, formed by a 1989 merger between pharmaceutical companies Bristol-Myers Company, founded in 1887 by William McLaren Bristol and John Ripley Myers in Clinton, NY (both were graduates of Hamilton College), and Squibb Corporation. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... GE redirects here. ...


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 and vibrating toothbrushes.[citation needed] Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... Improper removal of plaque caused a build up of calculus (dark yellow colour) near the gums on almost all the teeth. ... The gingiva, or gums, consist of the tissue surrounding the roots of the teeth and covering the jawbone. ...


See also

Oral hygiene is the practice of keeping the mouth clean. ... Dental hygienist flossing a patients teeth Dental floss is either a bundle of thin nylon filaments or a plastic (teflon or polyethylene) ribbon used to remove food and dental plaque from teeth. ... Modern toothpaste gel Toothpaste is a paste or gel dentifrice used to clean and improve the aesthetic appearance and health of teeth. ... chewable toothbrushes A chewable toothbrush is a little plastic moulded toothbrush that can be used when no water is available. ... Electric toothbrush, made by Braun. ... The miswak (miswaak, siwak) is a natural toothbrush made from the twigs of the Salvadora persica tree. ...

External links

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  Results from FactBites:
 
Toothbrush - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (801 words)
The toothbrush is an instrument used to clean teeth consisting of a small brush at the end of a handle.
The first electric toothbrush, the Broxodent, was introduced by Squibb Pharmaceutical at the centennial of the American Dental Association in 1959.
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.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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