Monday, March 17, 2014

The History Of Brushing

By Darrel Jefferson


When your dentist sits you down and tells you that you need to be brushing 2 times a day, you may be wondering what it used to be like back in the day. Not just your parents or grandparent's day but back hundreds and even thousands of years ago. Did they brush or did they just let their teeth fall out of their mouths? Here is some background on brushing.

White teeth can make you appear younger, healthier, and even more successful. And plenty of companies have tried to cash in on this concept. Our groceries stores are chock-full of teeth whitening methods. Dentists offer several different types of expensive whitening procedures. Heck, you can even prevent the problem from ever coming up again by getting veneers.

One thing we can be sure of is that teeth sure didn't look like they do today. If you have seen someone who has never brushed before, then you know a little about what they used to look like. One thing to realize is that diets have been changing from the beginning of time and that has played a key role on dental hygiene.

Caring for Your Own Teeth

Many people did try and keep their teeth clean with make-shift tooth picks and even by chewing on bones or even sticks. In fact, there are some sticks in Africa that have a natural fluoride that is very good for teeth. Another thing that was used in parts of Asia was herbal mixtures that could be used as mouth wash.

If you've already got a white smile, you may want to try the least expensive route. Whitening toothpaste will gradually, slightly brighten up your teeth with each time you brush. It will also help prevent further stains and discoloration, so you'll be sure your teeth will stay at least as white as they already are.

The toothbrush is not a new invention. In fact, Egyptians were using it back in the times of the pyramids. They also made their own toothpaste as well. It actually contained rock salt, mint, dried flowers, and peppers. It probably wasn't as tasty as ours today but there was definitely some functionality behind it. Toothpaste has been made from all sorts of materials including charcoal, powders, and even dragon's blood (whether there were ever dragons in the first place is disputable).

This one may sound a little scary, but as long as you only do it occasionally, and make sure to brush your teeth immediately afterward, you avoid anything risky. The peroxide is a powerful cleaning agent that will help remove stains. If you pour the peroxide onto a rough washcloth, the texture will exfoliate and gently whiten your teeth.

In ancient Rome scientists have found that many of the soldiers and citizens had very healthy teeth with minimal cavities which mostly occurred from the introduction of honey. Much of this is from the healthy nature of the Mediterranean diet. This goes to show the effects of healthy diets on teeth.

When you are stressed, you may grind your teeth at night. When you grind your teeth at night, you can be doing some serious damage to your teeth. Grinding your teeth can compromise the integrity of the structure of your teeth.

Overall nothing has been able to replace the toothbrush on its functional cleaning abilities. We now have the luxury of being able to brush our teeth at least twice a day whereas people back then had hundreds of other things to worry about. That is why you should make sure you are making dental hygiene a priority.

The most expensive option also happens to be the quickest and most effective. So if you really need some help, talk to your dentist about a laser whitening procedure. The process involves whitening gel and special laser lighting that breaks up stains and discoloring. It only takes about 90 minutes, and you'll walk about with a brilliant smile immediately after.




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