Americans have a record: “In 1498, when a new century was about to appear on the horizon of mankind, the emperor of China invented the toothbrush.” 1498 was the eleventh year of Ming Hongzhi. The emperor mentioned here is Ming Xiaozong. Zhu Youzhan. In fact, as early as the Qin and Han Dynasties, the ancients paid attention to protecting and cleaning their teeth. “Book of Rites” records: “chicken cries salty and coughs.” The ancestors paid attention to the protection and cleaning of teeth very early. After the cock crowed, the first thing was to rinse the mouth with salt water. “Historical Records” records: Chunyuyi, a famous doctor in the Western Han Dynasty, diagnosed dental caries for Dr. Qizhong. He believed that it was caused by the patient “to lie down and eat without coughing”. Ancients often used salt water, wine, tea, vinegar, etc. to rinse their mouths to remove bad oral odors and harmful bacteria. Among them, tea contains fluorine, which can effectively prevent tooth decay and keep the mouth clean.
Bronze toothbrush According to the research of the unearthed bronze toothbrush, the embryonic form of the toothbrush was established in the Qin and Han dynasties. This kind of toothbrush is like a tobacco pot in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, with a long handle and a round end. During the Western Jin Dynasty, an official Lu Yun (grandson of the Three Kingdoms Lu Xun) mentioned in a letter to his brother Lu Ji: “I used the artifacts of Cao Gong to pick up the toothpicks. Today I will send one to my brother.” It can be seen that at least. In the Jin Dynasty, toothpicks for cleaning teeth appeared, and they were given as gifts at the time. They should still be very rare objects and only popular in the upper class.
In 1984, archaeologists cleaned the Tang and Song relics in Command Street, Chengdu, Sichuan. Four toothbrushes were unearthed in the ash pit of the Tang Dynasty. Two of them are well-preserved and are made of long bone handles and animal bristles. At that time, toothbrushes were still a luxury item. In the late Tang Dynasty, the people soaked the willow branches in water. When needed, they bite the willow branches, and many small comb-like fibers appeared, which can be used to clean teeth. This is a toothbrush for civilians in the Tang Dynasty.
During the Song Dynasty, toothbrushes were called “brushing teeth”, and they had become a common daily necessities among the folks. At the end of the Song Dynasty and the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, Wu Zimu recalled the dazzling array of products in the market in the Southern Song Dynasty in “Menglianglu”: “Mirrors, wooden combs, grate, brushes, toothbrushes…” There are also various shops in the market, including toothbrush stores. ——”Ling’s toothbrushing shop”, “Fuguanren’s toothbrushing shop.”
The “Xiangpu” published at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty records: the ancient toothpaste-the formula of the toothpaste is very particular, with agarwood, dipterocarp, sandalwood, musk, green salt, etc. as the main materials, and cooked honey to make a paste. be usable. During the Yuan Dynasty, the term “toothbrush” officially appeared. Yuan dynasty poet Guo Yu wrote: “On the first day of the Nanzhou toothbrush, it is worth a gold to remove dirt and troubles.” The “Puji Fang” compiled in the early years of the Ming Dynasty records the ancients’ method of brushing their teeth-“Every time you brush your teeth and dip the medicine. A little, brush the upper and lower teeth, and rinse them with warm water.” This method of brushing teeth is the same as today.
