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From chew-sticks to tree twigs to bird feathers to animal bones to porcupine quills there have been a wide variety of oral hygiene measures in recorded history before the toothbrush. The modern mechanisms, however, remains as the undisputed leader as an instrument to clean teeth through brushing. There is also mention of different forms of cleaning teeth with brushes in ancient medicinal and religious literature. Ayurveda, the ancient Indian system of medicine advocates the use of the neem tree and its products to create brushes for cleaning teeth. The neem tree is a large semi-evergreen tree of the East Indies whose trunk exudes a tenacious gum, its bitter bark used is as a tonic and its seeds yield aromatic oil. When chewed at one end a neem twig resembles bristles and is used to brush teeth. The miswak, made from a twig or root with antiseptic properties is another example that finds mention in Islamic religious literature. Modern brushes for cleaning teeth can be traced back to 1400s when they were invented in China. These were made of bamboo sticks on which stiff hairs from a pig’s neck were attached. The modern shape owes its discovery to William Addis, an Englishman who, in 1770, thought of improving the then prevalent method of rubbing a rag on one’s teeth with soot and salt. He took an animal bone, drilled holes in it and then passed tufts of bristles through the holes and glued them. Mass production started within ten years of William Addis’ first experiment that he performed while in jail.

With passage of time the natural bristles from animal hair were replaced by nylon fiber. Toothbrushes made from nylon yarn went on sale in 1938. In a study held in 2003 it became the number one invention Americans could not live without beating many other inventions like car, computer, microwave oven and cell phone. In 1959, a basic electric version was launched, which led to new electric and electronic products like Sonicare toothbrush with dual speed and timing controls.

An electric toothbrush is similar to a normal brush but uses electric power to oscillate the brush head. Unbiased research claims that these are no more effective than normal brushes. The rotation-oscillation models are an exception and perform better than regular brushes. However, for people who have problems with manual dexterity these can provide special benefits. The comparisons assume that brushing is done in the approved manner and for a suitably long period.

The oral toothbrush has traveled a long distance from the days the first brush was invented in its present shape. It remains the number one invention without which modern life is inconceivable. Brushes come in many sizes and forms. Although most bristles are made from synthetic fiber the bristle texture can vary a lot. Since hard bristles can erode tooth enamel and irritate gums most dentists recommend a toothbrush that has soft bristles.