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Toothbrushes
A Toothbrush is an instrument
used to clean teeth consisting of a small brush at the end
of a handle. Proper use of this instrument is important for prevention of
tooth decay,
gum disease and bad breath. If you
brush daily and still have bad breath problems, here
are Fourteen
Guidelines to Help You Prevent Bad Breath.
History
of the toothbrush
All of us know what a
toothbrush is and we have used it many times. Do you ever
wonder who invented the toothbrush and when?. How much do you value the invention
of a toothbrush?. A recent survey by the Lemelson-MIT Invention Index, which asked
which of five inventions Americans could not live without revealed
the toothbrush as the
undisputed champ! beating the car, the personal computer, the cell phone and the
microwave as the most prized innovation.
Most of us were born with toothbrushes within
our reach
and have never missed to find
one at our stores.
Let me share with you my
findings on the history of the toothbrush.
Early forms of the toothbrush
have been in existence since 3000 B.C. Ancient civilizations
used a
“chew-stick”-a thin twig with a frayed end, which was rubbed against teeth.
This
action mechanically cleaned teeth while natural oils from the twigs
chemically attacked
cavity causing bacteria in the mouth- the twig is known to have antiseptic properties.
Then came the bristle
toothbrush (similar to a modern toothbrush) invented in China , the
year 1498.
The bristles were made form coarse hairs taken from the back of a hog’s
neck
and attached to handles made of bone or bamboo. Wow!
Boar bristles were used until
the year 1938 when nylon bristles (used in today’s modern
toothbrush) were
introduced by Dupont de Nemours. The first toothbrush was called
‘Doctor West’s Miracle Toothbrush'.
One of the electric
toothbrushes to hit the American market was in the year 1960,
marketed by the
Squibb company under the name ‘Broxodent’.
Today, there is a variety of
toothbrushes that come in different sizes, form and texture
of bristles. Some
are synthetic while others are natural.
Dentist's recommendation
 Use brush with soft bristles, usually labeled “soft” since
firmer
bristled toothbrushes
can damage the enamel and irritate the gums.
Use toothpaste with fluoride together with toothbrush to aid
in cleaning
Do not use a toothbrush more than 3 months or if bristles
are worn and
bent to avoid
hurting gums.
Electric
toothbrushes verses Manual toothbrushes
Research has shown that Electric toothbrushes are no more effective than
manual
toothbrushes. However, "rotating-oscillation" electric
toothbrushes (where the head of
the toothbrush rotates first in one way and then the other) out-performed manual
brushing removing 7% more plaque and leading to 17% less gum
disease than manual
toothbrushes.
All other
electric toothbrushes are no better than manual toothbrushes the
researchers
found. These include toothbrushes that vibrate at ultrasonic
frequencies such as
Ultrasonic toothbrushes, the ones with heads that moves from side
to side and counter
oscillation toothbrushes with sets of bristles that moves one way
then the other, or
circular motion electric toothbrushes whose heads rotate in one
direction only.
The analysis
was a collaboration between the Cockrane
Oral Health Group and a team
of researchers led by Dr. Chris Deery of the Edinburgh
Dental Institute. The findings have
been published in the Journal
of Dentistry and in the The Cochrane Library which
focuses
on healthcare research. It was published by the BBC News and you
can read it here.
It is worth
mentioning though that electric toothbrushes have been very helpful to
people
with low mobility, such as kids and the elderly.
These toothbrushes can also be an incentive to kids not interested
in cleaning teeth and
may find electric toothbrushes a novelty.
How to Keep
your Toothbrush clean
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According to the Centers
for Disease Control, "Even after being visibly rinsed clean,
toothbrushes can remain contaminated with potentially pathogenic organisms.
Here is how to get your toothbrush clean.
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Deep clean it
occasionally, by placing it on the top rack of a dishwasher and running it
with ordinary dish soap. Note, some brushes can melt in the dishwasher,
especially those made of plastic bristles.
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Some sources such as the
papers cited in external links below strongly suggest keeping your
toothbrush as far away from your toilet as possible. And simply putting down
the top lid before flushing cuts down the airborne bacteria from waste
matter by enormous amounts. Other sources, such as the TV show Myth Busters,
claim that the fecal germs are just as prevalent in the rest of the house as
next to an open toilet.
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