Interesting and Fun Toothpaste Facts: 1-5
1. Toothpaste is designed for grinding away leftover food from mouth. It also removes plaque. However, toothpaste alone is not
equipped to do the grinding job. It requires the help of toothbrush.
2. Experts believe that the first toothpastes originated in India, Egypt and China. When? Around 5000 BCE. That’s about 7000
years earlier.
3. Toothpaste recipes back in those days were pretty weird. For instance, the Egyptians used mint, pepper, iris flower (dried) and
crushed rock salt.
4. Some Egyptians used to add something more into the mixture. For instance, burnt egg shells and ashes of burnt ox hooves
were pretty common ingredients.
5. Romans on the other hand did a bit of nasty stuff. They made toothpastes based on urine. Of course they used oyster shells,
crushed bones and other abrasive material too.
Interesting and Fun Toothpaste Facts: 6-10
6. The reason why the Romans used urine was the ammonia content which are good cleansers.
7. Luckily we weren’t Romans and neither did we live around the 18th century. Why so? Because well into 18th century, urine
was still an active ingredient for toothpastes. Same reason – ammonia.
8. Even today, many toothpastes use the same compounds that were present in ancient times. Only difference? Today those
compounds are made in laboratories.
9. Before 1850, all toothpastes were in powder form. Dr. Peabody – a dentist came up with a bright idea. He added soap to
increase the cleaning power of toothpaste. This happened in 1824.
10. In 1850s, chalk was added to toothpastes by several manufacturers. That’s when toothpastes took the cream form from
powder form.
Interesting and Fun Toothpaste Facts:11-15
11. In 1914 for the first time in history of toothpastes, fluoride was added. Fluoride prevents decay of tooth and strengthens
teeth.
12. The first herbal and commercially produced toothpaste came out in 1975. Tom’s of Maine was one of the earliest know
herbal toothpaste of 20th century.
13. Tom’s of Maine and other herbal toothpastes were alternatives to fluoride-based toothpastes.
14. In 1987, edible toothpastes were first made in US for the astronauts. These toothpastes are still available and used for kids.
Kids don’t rinse their mouth properly after brushing and hence, edible toothpastes are best for them.
15. Rembrandt was the first the first company to offer teeth whitening toothpaste in 1989. Many other companies followed later.
Interesting and Fun Toothpaste Facts: 16-20
16. Today, toothpastes are known to have formaldehyde. It is a chemical that is used for preserving dead bodies. Formaldehyde
kills bacteria that comes in contact with the tube of toothpaste.
17. Toothpastes work well on zits. Dabbing some toothpaste on a zit at night will make it vanish by morning.
18. Toothpaste helps to remove tarnish from silver. Thus, using toothpaste for polishing silver jewelry is a common practice.
19. When you squeeze a toothpaste tube, it comes out consistently on the brush. This consistency is achieved by adding
seaweed to toothpastes.
20. The detergent used in toothpastes has two functions. First, it helps to dissolve stains from teeth. Second, it also helps in
foaming.