It is estimated that around 5000 BC (almost 6000 years before the invention of the toothbrush!), the Egyptians made a tooth powder that contained ashes from cow hooves, myrrh, eggshells, and pumice stone (as if they were performing a spell to clean their teeth!)

Then many other civilizations developed the concept of toothpaste but we do not know exactly how they applied it to their teeth. They may have applied it directly, or with a small branch (like a toothpick) or with a cloth that they rubbed on their teeth!

Before toothbrushes and toothpaste, how did people clean their teeth? (spoiler alert: they didn't!)

BUT from research done on the teeth of prehistoric humans, it has been observed that they didn't even have half a cavity!

This is because, although they didn't have toothbrushes and mouthwashes, they mainly consumed fibrous foods (fruits, vegetables, etc.) that had antibacterial properties, and their fibers acted as natural toothbrushes!

Then we started as a species to engage in agriculture and consume carbohydrates! Carbohydrates generally break down into sugars when they stay in the mouth, which bacteria feed on, and thus we end up with tooth decay.

And then we started smoking and drinking coffee, and that's how the need for oral hygiene products began!

So, before the invention of the toothbrush, people cleaned their teeth with animal bones, bird feathers, and porcupine quills which they used as toothpicks!

The first toothbrushes were "chew sticks" (this is our own original translation of chew stick)!

What were these? They were small branches with one end frayed to brush your teeth, while the other end was used as a toothpick.

?️‍ The oldest "chew sticks" were discovered about 5000 years ago in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) and in Egyptian tombs!

In ancient Greece (and Rome), they used toothpicks to clean their teeth!

The first ever toothbrush was made of pig bristles!

Several centuries later, around 1220 AD, Chinese monks started using toothbrushes made of horsehair on bone handles.

European travelers, because they preferred these softer horsehair bristles, brought the toothbrush to Europe. In England, imports of these toothbrushes continued until the mid-20th century!

The first mass-produced toothbrush was invented IN PRISON!

In 1770, the Englishman William Addis was imprisoned for inciting a "riot", that is, he had caused a commotion.

So, in prison, observing the broom cleaning the floor, he came up with the idea to apply this trick to his teeth! He kept a small bone from his meal, made a hole in it, and passed bristles from the tufts of a prison guard through it and sealed them with glue!

HOW DID THE ATHEOPHOBOS SHAVE THE GUARD?

When he was released from prison, he started a toothbrush production business in 1780 in England and became rich!

In fact, his company still exists (now called Wisdom Toothbrushes) and produces around 70 million toothbrushes annually in England!

The first toothbrushes with synthetic bristles were first introduced to the market in 1938 in America! THIS IS VERY RECENT!

It is estimated that the average toothbrush has around 2500 bristles! (About the same number as the hairs I lose every time I touch my hair)

In America, tooth brushing became a routine during World War II, in the 1940s, and soldiers were required to brush their teeth!

I repeat, THIS IS VERY RECENT!

The first electric toothbrush was invented in 1937 by American Tomlinson Mosley!

BONUS FACTS 

It is estimated that over ONE BILLION TOOTHBRUSHES are thrown away every year in America!

In 2003, the toothbrush was voted as the number one invention without which Americans could not live! EVERY TIME I SLEEP AT A FRIEND'S HOUSE, I WILL THINK ABOUT THIS STATEMENT.