- In 3000 BC people were using “chew sticks” as toothbrushes – small branches, with one end frayed. People would rub the stick on their teeth to scrape off any particles.
- In 2000 BC Egyptians used toothpaste made of powdered pumice stone and wine vinegar, brushed on with a chew stick.
- False teeth date back as far as 700 BC. The Etruscans designed false teeth out of ivory and bone that were secured into the mouth by gold bridgework.
- The first bristle toothbrushes, similar to what we use today, were used in China around 1498. The bristles were made from the tough hair on the back of Siberian hogs’ necks and were stuck into handles made from bamboo or bone.
- Before 1848 when gold-leaf fillings were recommended to repair dental cavities variety of materials was used – stone chips, turpentine resin, gum and metals.
- The earliest dental implants were made out of seashell and used by the Mayan civilization around 600 AD.