If you consider how far today’s home teeth whitening products have advanced, then you will really appreciate what you do not have to put into your mouth. It is actually quite amazing how far dental practices have come in the past few hundred years. However, if you need a refresher course in Dental History 101, then you have come to the right spot. Although there are plenty of products and kits you can buy, finding the best in home teeth whitening systems for that bright smile was not always so easy.
Home Teeth Whitening History
Home teeth whitening would not be where it is today if not for the advent of the toothbrush. Of course, you would not recognize one of these first teeth cleaning implements as a tooth brush.
The first one was actually a twig with one end frayed to scrape the tooth. Lords, Ladies, Kings, Queens and peasants alike, all utilized a piece of yard debris as a way to rid their mouth of excess food and buildup.
It was not until centuries later that a toothbrush was fashioned out of wood with boar bristles attached. There is nothing quite like the taste of pig hair first thing in the morning!
Whiter teeth have always been fashionable.
Early dentists, a.k.a the nearby barber, would file the tooth surface down before applying a solution of Nitric Acid.
The blinding white teeth came with a steep price.
This combination is devastating to enamel and the Dandy or Lady found themselves without teeth before long, due to decay. A tooth is only as good as the protection surrounding it.
Think about that fresh minty taste of your toothpaste. Most whitening toothpastes now contain baking soda. It is still a common practice to brush the teeth with baking soda straight out of the Arm & Hammer box. If you do not want that baking soda taste, then you may want to stick with toothpaste. At least the toothpaste no longer contains urine, a common ingredient in the 1800’s!
Home teeth whitening begins with the toothbrush and goes from there. There are ways you can lessen the impact of daily wear by avoiding tobacco products, which are bad for your health anyway, and by chewing special gum after you have indulged in coffee or soda. On the bright side, you do not have to brush your teeth with a boar bristle toothbrush and you do not have to go to your Barber and be subjected to his tooth whitening system.