Dentifrice

Last updated
Botica Iturbide brand tooth powder (early 20th century, Mexico) from the permanent collection of the Museo del Objeto del Objeto PolvoDentrifrico.JPG
Botica Iturbide brand tooth powder (early 20th century, Mexico) from the permanent collection of the Museo del Objeto del Objeto

Dentifrices, including toothpowder and toothpaste, are agents used along with a toothbrush to aid in removal of dental plaque. They are supplied in paste, powder or gel. [1] Many dentifrices have been produced over the years, some focusing on marketing strategies to sell products, such as offering whitening capabilities. The most essential dentifrice recommended by dentists is toothpaste which is used in conjunction with a toothbrush to help remove food debris and dental plaque. Dentifrice is also the French word for toothpaste.

Contents

Types

Toothpaste

Toothpaste is a dentifrice used in conjunction with a toothbrush to help maintain oral hygiene. The essential components are an abrasive, binder, surfactant and humectant. Other ingredients are also used. The main purpose of the paste is to help remove debris and plaque with some marketed to serve accessory functions such as breath freshening and teeth whitening.[ citation needed ]

Tooth powder

Red tooth powder from India Red-Tooth-Powder.JPG
Red tooth powder from India

Tooth powder was historically used among the Romans to clean and whiten teeth, to fix them when loose, to strengthen the gums, and to assuage toothache. [2] [3] [4] They made tooth powder from a variety of substances, such as the bones, hoofs, and horns of certain animals; [2] crabs; oyster [5] and murex shells; and egg-shells. These ingredients were reduced to a fine powder, sometimes after having been previously burnt. [2] [5] Some versions contained honey, [5] ground myrrh, nitre, [3] salt, [4] and hartshorn, which would be added after the initial powdering process. Pliny the Elder reported the use of pounded pumice as a dentifrice. [6] Arguably the best-known mention of tooth care among the Romans is found in a letter by Apuleius, who complains that using tooth powder is nothing to be ashamed of, especially compared to the "utterly repulsive things they do in Hispania (now Spain)." Apuleius quotes Catullus in saying that he would be using his own urine "to brush his teeth and his red gums." [7]

By 1924, diatomaceous earth was mined for tooth powder. [8] In modern times, baking soda has been the most commonly used tooth powder.

The use of powdered substances such as charcoal, brick, and salt for cleaning teeth has been historically widespread in India, particularly in rural areas. [9] Modern tooth powder has been positioned as a cost-effective substitute for toothpaste, as it can be applied with the index finger without requiring use of a toothbrush. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toothbrush</span> Oral hygiene tool

A toothbrush is an oral hygiene tool used to clean the teeth, gums, and tongue. It consists of a head of tightly clustered bristles, atop of which toothpaste can be applied, mounted on a handle which facilitates the cleaning of hard-to-reach areas of the mouth. They should be used in conjunction with something to clean between the teeth where the bristles of the toothbrush cannot reach - for example floss, tape or interdental brushes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toothpaste</span> Substance to clean and maintain teeth

Toothpaste is a paste or gel dentifrice used with a toothbrush to clean and maintain the aesthetics and health of teeth. Toothpaste is used to promote oral hygiene: it is an abrasive that aids in removing dental plaque and food from the teeth, assists in suppressing halitosis, and delivers active ingredients to help prevent tooth decay and gum disease (gingivitis). Owing to differences in composition and fluoride content, not all toothpastes are equally effective in maintaining oral health. The decline of tooth decay during the 20th century has been attributed to the introduction and regular use of fluoride-containing toothpastes worldwide. Large amounts of swallowed toothpaste can be poisonous. Common colors for toothpaste include white and blue.

Teeth cleaning is part of oral hygiene and involves the removal of dental plaque from teeth with the intention of preventing cavities, gingivitis, and periodontal disease. People routinely clean their own teeth by brushing and interdental cleaning, and dental hygienists can remove hardened deposits (tartar) not removed by routine cleaning. Those with dentures and natural teeth may supplement their cleaning with a denture cleaner.

Crest is an American brand of toothpaste and other oral hygiene products made by American multinational Procter & Gamble (P&G) and sold worldwide. In many countries in Europe, such as Germany, Bulgaria, Serbia, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Poland, Hungary, Latvia, Romania, Estonia and Lithuania, it is sold as Blend-A-Med, the name of an established German toothpaste acquired by P&G in 1987. In France, Italy, Israel, Sweden, Finland, Argentina, Belgium, the Netherlands, Brazil, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Australia, Nigeria, Greece, Uruguay and Colombia, P&G markets similar toothpaste formulations under the Oral-B brand.

Crest Whitestrips is a line of tooth whitening products made by Procter & Gamble.

Tooth whitening or tooth bleaching is the process of lightening the color of human teeth. Whitening is often desirable when teeth become yellowed over time for a number of reasons, and can be achieved by changing the intrinsic or extrinsic color of the tooth enamel. The chemical degradation of the chromogens within or on the tooth is termed as bleaching.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dental abrasion</span> Medical condition

Abrasion is the non-carious, mechanical wear of tooth from interaction with objects other than tooth-tooth contact. It most commonly affects the premolars and canines, usually along the cervical margins. Based on clinical surveys, studies have shown that abrasion is the most common but not the sole aetiological factor for development of non-carious cervical lesions (NCCL) and is most frequently caused by incorrect toothbrushing technique.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dental erosion</span> Medical condition

Acid erosion is a type of tooth wear. It is defined as the irreversible loss of tooth structure due to chemical dissolution by acids not of bacterial origin. Dental erosion is the most common chronic condition of children ages 5–17, although it is only relatively recently that it has been recognised as a dental health problem. There is generally widespread ignorance of the damaging effects of acid erosion; this is particularly the case with erosion due to consumption of fruit juices because they tend to be considered as healthy. Acid erosion begins initially in the enamel, causing it to become thin, and can progress into dentin, giving the tooth a dull yellow appearance and leading to dentin hypersensitivity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fluoride therapy</span> Medical use of fluoride

Fluoride therapy is the use of fluoride for medical purposes. Fluoride supplements are recommended to prevent tooth decay in children older than six months in areas where the drinking water is low in fluoride. It is typically used as a liquid, pill, or paste by mouth. Fluoride has also been used to treat a number of bone diseases.

Dentin hypersensitivity is dental pain which is sharp in character and of short duration, arising from exposed dentin surfaces in response to stimuli, typically thermal, evaporative, tactile, osmotic, chemical or electrical; and which cannot be ascribed to any other dental disease.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tin(II) fluoride</span> Chemical compound

Tin(II) fluoride, commonly referred to commercially as stannous fluoride (from Latin stannum, 'tin'), is a chemical compound with the formula SnF2. It is a colourless solid used as an ingredient in toothpastes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tooth brushing</span> Act of scrubbing teeth with a toothbrush

Tooth brushing is the act of scrubbing teeth with a toothbrush equipped with toothpaste. Interdental cleaning can be useful with tooth brushing, and together these two activities are the primary means of cleaning teeth, one of the main aspects of oral hygiene. The recommended amount of time for tooth brushing is two minutes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oral hygiene</span> Cleaning the mouth by brushing the teeth and cleaning in between the teeth

Oral hygiene is the practice of keeping one's oral cavity clean and free of disease and other problems by regular brushing of the teeth and adopting good hygiene habits. It is important that oral hygiene be carried out on a regular basis to enable prevention of dental disease and bad breath. The most common types of dental disease are tooth decay and gum diseases, including gingivitis, and periodontitis.

Dental pertains to the teeth, including dentistry. Topics related to the dentistry, the human mouth and teeth include:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gingivitis</span> Inflammation of the gums

Gingivitis is a non-destructive disease that causes inflammation of the gums; ulitis is an alternative term. The most common form of gingivitis, and the most common form of periodontal disease overall, is in response to bacterial biofilms that are attached to tooth surfaces, termed plaque-induced gingivitis. Most forms of gingivitis are plaque-induced.

Cosmetics, first used in ancient Rome for ritual purposes, were part of daily life. Some fashionable cosmetics, such as those imported from Germany, Gaul and China, were so expensive that the Lex Oppia tried to limit their use in 189 BCE. These "designer brands" spawned cheap knock-offs that were sold to poorer women. Working-class women could afford the cheaper varieties, but may not have had the time to apply the makeup as the use of makeup was a time-consuming affair because cosmetics needed to be reapplied several times a day due to weather conditions and poor composition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington Sheffield</span> American dental surgeon and inventor

Washington Wentworth Sheffield was an American dental surgeon best known for inventing modern toothpaste in the 1870s. With the help of his son Lucius T. Sheffield, he was also the first to sell the paste in collapsible tubes. He was considered one of the most skilled dentists in New England and the United States, making important contributions to the fields of dentistry and dental surgery.

Sheffield Pharmaceuticals is a manufacturer of over the counter pharmaceutical products to retailers in the United States. It manufactures and sells products both under its own labels and privately for other companies, and is an FDA registered cGMP facility. The company was founded in 1880 as the Sheffield Dentifrice Company by Washington Sheffield, the inventor of modern toothpaste.

Dentistry developed during the early parts of Roman history, possibly due to the arrival of a Greek doctor named Archagathus. Ancient Roman oral surgical tools included the dental drill, chisels, bone levers, tooth and stump forceps. The ancient Romans invented the usage of narcotics during dental surgery. These tools were used to treat conditions such as toothache and to extract teeth. It was believed in ancient Rome that the cause of the conditions that necessitated such treatment was a "tooth worm."

References

  1. "Dentifrice - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics". www.sciencedirect.com. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  2. 1 2 3 Pliny the Elder (1855). "xxviii.49—Remedies for Tooth-ache". The Natural History. Translated by John Bostock and H.T. Riley. London: Taylor and Francis.
  3. 1 2 Pliny the Elder. "xxxi.46.(10.)—The Various Kinds of Nitrum". The Natural History.
  4. 1 2 Pliny the Elder. "xxxii.26.—Remedies for Tooth-ache". The Natural History.
  5. 1 2 3 Pliny the Elder. "xxxii.21.(6.)—The Various Kinds of Oysters - Fifty-eight Remedies and Observations". The Natural History.
  6. Pliny the Elder. "xxxvi. 42.—PUMICE; NINE REMEDIES". The Natural History.
  7. Smith, William (1875). A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, art. Dentifricium. London: John Murray.
  8. ""Toothpowder Mountain" Built From Shells: Skeletons of Tiny Sea Urchins Piled Up on Bottom of Prehistoric Ocean Supply Industry with Valuable Rock". Popular Mechanics: 209–210. February 1924.
  9. 1 2 Dogra, Balram (2010). Rural Marketing. Tata McGraw-Hill Education. ISBN   9780070660007.