From jailhouse to your house: The unexpected birthplace of today’s toothbrush

Even though we know that the first toothbrushes were invented around 5000 years ago, the first version of the mass produced toothbrush that is similar to what we use today was in fact invented in jail in the 1770's.

A British prisoner named William Addis saw fellow prisoners using a rag covered in soot or salt to clean their teeth and he got an idea.

But before we go into Addis’ modern version of the toothbrush, let’s look at its old history:

Photo: Alex Padurariu/Unsplash

We have to go back to the year 300 BC to find the first references to toothbrushes when, in Egyptian tombs, branches were found that were used as a toothbrush.

In order to use them, one end of the branch was adapted so that it had a softer and more fibrous feel and did not damage the teeth when cleaning them.

We then jump to the 16th century in China to find the first moderately modern toothbrush. An ivory bone that used animal hair as the brush.

It did not take long to reach Europe, although for decades it was a luxury item, to which only the noble had access due to its high cost, since in the Old Continent ivory was used for the handle and horsehair for the bristles.

But then, in 1723, Dr. Pierre Fauchard, considered the father of Dentistry, offered a different way to brushing teeth rather than branches or animal hair.

Dr. Fauchard considered that the brushes of the time were too soft and their brushing was not optimal, so he suggested changing them for natural sponges to scrub the teeth vigorously.

Those who preferred the original method exchanged horsehair for badger hair, bird feathers or, even, silver toothpicks.

In 1770 William Adis was locked up in Newgate Prison, London, for causing riots in Spitalfields.

The time he spent behind bars led him to worry about his own teeth, which, at that time, were usually cleaned with a piece of linen cloth combined with salt.

The fabric available in the prison, however, was not the most hygienic and he decided to look for alternatives. Thus, one day he saved a bone from dinner and managed to make holes in which he stuck several bristles to.

When he left prison, he improved his invention, marketed it and  became a millionaire. And yes, it is true that the concept of a brush already existed, but it was its Addis’s design that lived on, and,  to a certain extent, survived to this day.

As time went by, the bristles were changed to nylon, they became softer, and much later the electric toothbrush was created. In many variations, William Addis's toothbrush design remains current.

Addis’s toothbrush brand, Wisdom Toothbrushes, was established 235 years ago in the UK and is still in the market. However, it’s no longer in the Addis family, who sold the company in 1996.

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