Over the last several centuries, the field of dentistry has seen incredible advances. There have also been certain oddities in dental hygiene products. Any interest in brushing your teeth with cupcake, eggplant, or bacon flavored toothpaste? Your Richardson dentist shares some interesting moments in dental history.
Early Preventive Oral Hygiene
Sugar consumption exhibited a big rise in the late 1700s, resulting from increased availability due to international trade. Cavities became a big problem around this same time, with all of that sucrose feeding the bacteria in the mouth that cause tooth decay. Tooth cleaning methods at the time consisted of rubbing a rag against teeth that had been soaked in a solution of salt and soot. This method had a fairly poor success rate in terms of cavity prevention.
Toothpaste Cocktails
These days, most drugstores carry a majority of mint flavored toothpastes. You may occasionally see a unique flavor such as the above-mentioned, however. Perhaps, one of the most unusual flavors ever invented came about back in 1954. Don Poynter (who happened to also be the inventor of crossword-puzzle toilet paper) marketed scotch and bourbon flavored toothpastes. The tooth-cleaning abrasives were alcohol free, and were featured in a lengthy advertisement in Life Magazine. These liquor flavored toothpastes sold very well for a short time, but were soon taken off the market.
An Early Form of Teeth Whitening
From the Middle Ages through the early 1800s, barbers often took on dental duties in addition to cutting hair. A trend towards whiter teeth had the same prevalence it does in modern times. Barbers would file holes into their patient’s teeth. Next, the teeth were coated with corrosive nitric acid. This process worked wonders at whitening teeth. Unfortunately, it also dissolved enamel, which led to rapid tooth decay. Fortunately, the process of teeth whitening has greatly evolved since those days.
Teeth Whitening in Richardson and Dallas
Aren’t you glad you live in the time that you do? We offer preventive dental services and non-invasive teeth whitening at Viva Dental. You can contact our Dallas dentist office at (214) 337-7800, or our Richardson dentist office at (972)437-6000. We are proud to serve patients in the 75211 and 75080 zip codes, and surrounding neighborhoods.
