| The use of teeth whitening products is nothing new, although the products themselves have certainly come a long way from their earliest beginnings. |
Toothbrushes have been around for 5000 years. Of course, in 3000 BC they didn’t look much like what we’d use today. Instead people chewed on sticks to clean their teeth. This practise continued for millennia and is still used by some less developed peoples today.
However, around the turn of the 16th century, the first bristle toothbrushes appeared in China, made of wood or bone with the hogs hair bristles. The idea was imported to Europe by traders but only the richer classes usually bothered about cleaning their teeth, and even then it was most common for people to use toothpicks rather than brushes.
Teeth whitening itself began with the first toothpaste, actually used by the ancient Egyptians 4000 years ago. They cleaned their teeth with a mixture of powdered pumice stone and wine vinegar. The ancient Romans whitened their teeth using urine! In fact, ammonia and similar chemicals are still used as active ingredients in teeth whitening products today.
During the 17th century if you wanted your teeth whitened you would most likely visit the barbers shop. Barbers often doubled as dentists in those days. The teeth would be filed with a metal file and then have an acid applied which whitened the teeth but eventually led to severe tooth decay!
Flouride was first discovered as a means of keeping teeth healthy during the 19th century. But at the same time as it was found that fluoride reduced the risk of cavities, it was also noticed that it could lead to staining of the teeth, especially if significant amounts of fluoride were swallowed.
Teeth Whitening Today
Today a white smile is even more important than ever before as more and more of us want to make sure we look our best. We also have a much better understanding of what it is that causes our teeth to become stained and discoloured – which means we can also understand better how to counteract the problem and get whiter teeth.
Teeth staining and discolouration is caused by a range of factors – certain foods and drinks including coffee and red wine, tobacco, and certain medications such as Tetracycline, all contribute to discoloured teeth.
Now with the availability of teeth whitening products that are inexpensive and easy to use, like Smile4you’s patented teeth whitening kits, its now easier than ever to have that bright, white smile you’ve always wanted.
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