The color of teeth is supposed to be white, but i dental care heavily depends on the person, and how well they care for their teeth. Teeth are covered by a protective stucture, called the enamel , that helps to prevent cavities on the teeth. Adult teeth naturally darken as the person matures, the pulp within the tooth shrinks and dentin is deposited in its place.
However, toothpastes or powders did not come into general use until the 19th century. In the early 1800s, the toothbrush was usually used only with water, but tooth powders soon gained popularity. Most were home made, with chalk, pulverized brick, and salt being common ingredients. An 1866 Home Cyclopedia recommended pulverized charcoal, and cautioned that many patented tooth powders then commercially marketed did more harm than good.
By 1900, baking soda made into a paste by adding a small amount of hydrogen peroxide solution was recommended. Pre-mixed toothpastes were first marketed in the 19th century, but did not surpass the popularity of tooth-powder until about the time of the World War I. In New York City in 1896, Colgate & Company, as they were known, manufactured toothpaste in the first collapsible tube, similar to the tubes that had been recently introduced for artist's oil colors.Fluoride started to be added to toothpastes in the 1950s. Different countries have slightly different suggestions and limits in regards to the amount of the chemical to be added into the product. For example, much of Africa has a slightly higher percent than the USA.
Like many shampoos, healthier ingredients (such as baking soda, pseudo-mouthwash etc) are often combined into base mixes of varying qualities and marketed as being beneficial. Where used in very low concentrations (on the order of parts per million), fluorides are used in human health applications; specifically, fluorides such as sodium fluoride (NaF), sodium fluorophosphate (SMFP), tin(II) fluoride (SnF2), and amine fluoride are common ingredients in toothpaste. Many dentists also give their patients semiannual fluoride treatments if they do not have a fluoridated water supply.
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| Toothpaste fluoridation is great for your teeth
According to the American Dental Association, the first toothbrush was made in 1498 for an emperor in China who had hog bristles embedded in a bone handle. They were not common in the West until the 17th century, and became much more common in the 19th century. (A common older method of tooth cleaning, by rubbing with a piece of rag cloth, was in use in Europe at least since Roman times). Natural bristles (from animal hair) were replaced by synthetic materials, usually nylon, by DuPont in 1938. The first nylon bristle toothbrush made with nylon yarn went on sale on February 24, 1938. |