HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED how your toothbrush was made or how it\u2019s different from toothbrushes of the past? Teeth-cleaning tools have certainly come a long way from the frayed sticks Ancient Egyptians used around 3500 BC!<\/p>\n
A Brief History Of The Toothbrush
\nThe first toothbrushes that resemble modern ones were invented in China in the late 1500s, and they consisted of pig bristles attached to a bone or bamboo handle. Before long, the design caught on in Europe, with horse hair sometimes replacing pig. Can you imagine cleaning your teeth with animal hair? It doesn\u2019t sound very fun to us, but there weren\u2019t any other options back then, and it beats chewing on frayed sticks.<\/p>\n
Over the centuries, the design gradually became more like the toothbrushes we\u2019re familiar with. Toothbrushes were first mass-produced in 1780, in England. The first toothbrush with nylon bristles was made in 1938. Sixteen years later, Philippe Guy-Wood developed the first electric toothbrush in Switzerland.<\/p>\n
Even with the long history of toothbrushes and all the advances in the design, oral hygiene didn\u2019t become a priority in the culture until soldiers brought their strict hygiene regimens home with them from World War II. Just one more reason to be grateful for our troops!<\/p>\n
How Your Toothbrush Is Made
\nNylon bristles and plastic handles were the last major change in what toothbrushes are made of, but how are they actually made? There are a few different steps. First, the handles are molded from plastic pellets. Then a machine positions and attaches the bristles. Next, another machine trims the bristles to the right length. Finally, the finished toothbrushes are packaged and shipped.<\/p>\n
To see the manufacturing process in action, check out this video:
\n