Before toothpaste became a modern luxury item squeezed out of a convenient plastic tube, our ancestors used a variety of unique methods to maintain dental hygiene.
Historical societies placed a high value on dental cleanliness, but perhaps not to the same extent as we do today. Thanks to modern equipment, we have much more opportunities for oral care.
So how did people in the past approach dental care using the best resources available?
To protect yourself from periodontitis, practice good oral hygiene
Some of the substances historically used to clean teeth bear little resemblance to modern products, but others have notable similarities.
Ancient toothpaste
Since around 500 B.C., before the invention of the toothbrush, societies have experimented with different ingredients to concoct a paste-like substance for cleaning teeth.
The ancient Egyptians, around the 4th century AD, were the first recorded people to develop a recipe for dental cream.
In the early 1800s, soap was added to toothpaste as a cleaning agent and to reduce bacteria. (Museum of London/Heritage Images/Getty Images)
A papyrus document has been discovered bearing an ancient inscription that gives a recipe for “powder for white and perfect teeth.”
According to National Geographic, the original formula contained a mixture of salt, pepper, mint, and dried iris flowers. The abrasive power of these ancient dental formulas was strong enough to cause bleeding gums, but modern toothpastes often contain hydrated silica for a similar purpose.
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Austrian dentist Heinz Neumann once spoke at a conference about his experience with Egyptian toothpaste: He reported that it caused his gums to bleed at first, but that it was better than 19th-century toothpaste recipes: “This recipe would have been a vast improvement over the soapy toothpastes used much later,” he said.
Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans used toothpaste to clean their teeth and freshen their breath. (History of Advertising Trust/Heritage Images/Getty Images)
Newman asserts that ancient Egyptians used this toothpaste to care for their teeth long before toothbrushes existed.
Other recipes called for strange ingredients like burnt cow hoof ashes or crushed eggshells. According to Frank Lippert of the Indiana University School of Dentistry, one recipe included “powdered cow hoof ash, myrrh, eggshells, and pumice.”
But the Egyptians weren’t the only ones to use strange ingredients: Greek and Roman concoctions often included crushed bones, oyster shells, and even charcoal for flavor.
Medieval Toothpaste Recipe
During the Middle Ages, from the 12th to 14th centuries, dental care and hygiene was primarily non-abrasive, including herbal remedies and charms, according to the British Dental Journal.
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According to National Geographic, one recipe recorded from this period calls for honey, salt, and rye flour or meal.
In 1850, “cream toothpaste” was sold in bottles. In 1873, Colgate began mass-producing toothpaste in bottles. (Advertising Trust/Heritage Images/Getty Images)
Text of “Trotula”
A 12th-century outline of a three-volume text on women’s health called the Trotula has been discovered. The text is written in Latin and is attributed to Trota of Salerno, a female physician who worked at the medical school in Salerno, Italy at the time.
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The Trotula describes several treatments for common dental problems of the time. The text includes the following suggestions:
- Fixing “black teeth”
- Removing wine stains from teeth
- Teeth Whitening
Trota of Salerno is known as the first female physician in Europe. She was born around 1040-1050. (DEA/ICAS94)
Toothpaste from the 1800s and 1900s
Around the 1800s, dental hygiene became more important. The products used for dental care during this time were similar to those we use today, and the recipes did not cause bleeding gums like in earlier times.
The big difference with modern recipes is that soap was used in the recipe.
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Around the 1900s, fluoride was found to be an effective tooth-cleaning substance and was added to most toothpastes. Today, according to the American Dental Association, toothpastes must contain fluoride to be ADA approved.
Modern toothpaste
These proprietary formulas served as the primary means of dental care until Colgate introduced the first mass-produced toothpaste in 1873. Since Colgate’s entry into the market, many variations have been developed.
Today, the variety of toothpaste options available at drug stores can be overwhelming. Consumer decision fatigue.
Modern toothpastes often contain fluoride, flavorings, sweeteners, and colorants. (Gabby Jones/Bloomberg)
Despite the availability of commercial toothpaste, many households remained faithful to traditional concoctions: the 1860 guidebook “The Practical Housewife,” for example, continued to enjoy popularity.
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It contained a recipe for a popular toothpaste made with orris root, charcoal, Peruvian bark, cooked chalk, and essential oils of bergamot or lavender.
