When Did Human Beings Start brushing their teeth?

[Dari]

and bathing twice a day? Just a question. Anyone have any definitive links?

 

[Cuda1447]

I still dont bathe twice a day. I barely do it once a day!

 

[Pastore]

Only bathe in the evening if I am going out that night. Otherwise just in the morning as soon as I wake up.

 

[SSP]

If you can call a twig a brush, long ago?

 

[Jmman]

Heck, appartently some people don't brush their teeth either.....:disgust:

 

[Dari]

Originally posted by: SSP
If you can call a twig a brush, long ago?

links?

 

When indoor plumbing became common.

 

[StageLeft]

I thought brushing was optional.

If you're bathing twice a day and it's not because you went to the gym or something you need to see a doctor because you have OCD.

 

[schdaddy]

It should be somewhat recent, since (from what I understand) processed sugars & preservatives are the major reasons for getting cavities.

 

[Amused]

Humans have bathed regularly on and off since regular bathing was first recorded with the Romans. (or was it the society that preceeded the Romans?)

A curious note, regular bathing was shunned by the Holy Roman (Catholic) Church because it required nudity and was thought to lead to sin. It did not become a custom in Western Society again until soap manufacturers in the US started the "Cleanliness is Next to Godliness" campaign in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The discovery of bacteria also helped spur a return to daily bathing.

As for brushing teeth I found this on the web:

The very normal activity of brushing ones teeth has been around far longer than any of us realize. We know from viewing entombed Egyptians that they were very concerned about their dental hygiene evidenced by their foresight to be buried with their treasures. Tombs from over 3000 years before Christ contained small tree branches whose ends had been frayed into soft fibers used for brushing the teeth.

In actuality though the true ancestor of the toothbrush was invented by the Chinese in the fifteenth century and brought back to Europe by travelers. The original toothbrush was made of hairs from the neck of a Siberian wild boar which were fixed to a bamboo or bone handle. The people of the Occident, however, found the wild boar hairs too stiff. During this period very few people in the Western world brushed their teeth, and those who did preferred horse hairs, which were softer than those of the wild boar! In Europe, it was more customary after meals to use a goose feather toothpick, or one made of silver or copper.

Other animal hair was used for dental care even up until this century. It was the Siberian wild boar that was used most of all. The animal was imported for its neck hairs for a very long time until nylon was invented in the 20 century.

In 1937, in the Du Pont laboratories in Nemours, nylon was invented by Wallace H. Carothers. In 1938, this new material became a symbol of modernism and prosperity through the commercialization of nylon stockings and of Dr. West's miracle toothbrush with nylon bristles. At first, even if there were many advantages to using this new brush the consumers were not entirely satisfied. This is because the nylon bristles were very stiff and hurt the gums. In 1950, Du Pont improved the toothbrush by giving it softer bristles.

Today the brands, types and colors of toothbrushes on the market are almost endless. In spite of this, certain African and American populations still use tree branches to care for their teeth!

 

[rickn]

they didn't brush, they chewed on tree bark, and wiped their heinies with leaves.

 

[murphy55d]

Some still don't.

 

[UNCjigga]

Apparently happened once homo sapients left the Isle of Man (England) though the folks left behind west of the channel are still in the dark...