A toothbrush is a tool that people use to clean their teeth. Contemporary toothbrushes come in a variety of styles and shapes, and they range in price from $1 to $600. They are designed with different types of bristles, including nylon and boar’s hair. Some toothbrushes come with an attached set of toothpaste or mouthwash for convenient use. The ADA says that toothbrush bristles should be replaced every three to four month. Oral-B is the best-selling brand in the United States since 1990, followed by Colgate Palmolive and Johnson & Johnson Co.’s Reach.

The best way to keep your teeth healthy is by brushing them daily. Modern medical research has shown that it’s important for preventing cavities, gingivitis and periodontal disease. This is the leading cause of adult tooth loss. Gum disease occurs when plaque builds up and forms a sticky film which coats the teeth and gums. Plaque consists of about 75% bacteria, which grows quickly if left untreated. If you don’t brush your teeth correctly, this can lead to calcified saliva minerals, forming tartar on your teeth.

Investing in your dental health is important for your oral health. As long ago as 3000 BC, ancient Egyptians created crude tooth brushes from twigs and leaves to clean their teeth. Similarly, other cultures such as the Greeks, Romans, and Indians cleaned their teeth with twigs. Some would fray one end of the twig so that it could penetrate between teeth more effectively. By the 15th century, Chinese people designed a more sophisticated toothbrush with a brush attached to a handle. A hundred years later, English nobles were using toothbrushes fashioned out of silver.

Toothbrush design has undergone few changes since it was introduced. In the early 1900s, hog hair bristles were popular and generally used. However, in 1938, the Miracle Tuft Toothbrush was invented. Within a decade of its introduction, Oral-B started mass producing toothbrushes with soft bristles. In 1961, electric toothbrushes were introduced to replace manual brushing and became popular in the late 1970s when they started introducing various kinds of designs.

Types of Toothbrushes

In the 1990s, there were countless toothbrushes that could be found in drug and supermarkets. They varied in many ways. For example, Reach toothbrush by Johnson & Johnson was the first angled-handled toothbrush designed to make brushing back teeth easier. Later variations of the Reach brush included zigzag-bristles.

Colgate offered an angled brush. One model, called Rippled Bristles, was designed to reach plaque trapped between teeth. Gillette designed the Oral-B Indicator toothbrush with a blue dye that would fade to white after four months of use. Oral-B Plaque Remover featured taller, contoured bristles and was intended to massage the gums. SmithKline Beecham created AquaFresh Flex that has a flexible, angled handle and is supposed to reduce pressure on gums and teeth.

There are many environmentally-friendly toothbrushes on the market today; Jack Hokanson thought of something unique and different when he came up with Hoke2. The Hoke2 toothbrush featured a non-disposable handle that can be replaced with a replacement bristle head. One really unique toothbrush is the Radius, which features a big handle designed to provide a better grip to make it easier to use and has any large scrubbing brush. Collis Curve toothbrush’s bristles curve inward so that they hug teeth, making it possible to brush both the front and back at the same time.

Electric toothbrushes were an improvement to manual brushes since they were battery operated, had rotating heads, and tufts of bristles that rotated at 4200 rpm. One design, the Interplak, featured two rows of intertwined bristles that spun constantly in opposite directions while pulsating against the teeth. The idea behind the Interplak was to remove plaque and any other debris.

Although many dental experts believe that almost any type of soft-bristled brush is effective, recent studies have shown that special toothbrush designs are the most effective. For instance, electric toothbrushes are helpful for individuals with limited mobility or dexterity in their hands, such as people afflicted with arthritis. Other special designs include interproximal toothbrushes, which have small triangular brush heads that can clean under fixed bridges and in between widely spaced teeth. For people with sensitive teeth, brushing products with extra-soft bristles made of polished nylon are available.

Manufacturing

Process

These days, most toothbrushes are made mechanically. The most common ones are made of plastic and have natural boar bristles.

Shaping the handles

1 Plastic is mixed and shaped into pellets. The pellets are then placed in an injection molding machine, which heats the plastic until it is melted. A rotating screw or plunger forces the liquid plastic into the handle molds, where it cools and sets. Clamps keep the molds securely in place while pressure is applied to the molds while they cool. When they have adequately set, pins punch through to release the handles from the molds.

The filling machine

Bristles used in paint brushes are firmly placed into the brush handle so they can’t be moved out of place. The bristles are then firmly fastened with thin metal staples.

The toothbrush then goes through a trimming machine to appropriately shape the bristles.

Packaging toothbrushes

Some brands package their product in cardboard and/or plastic containers with labels that provide details such as bristle hardness and usage recommendations. If the brand is approved by the American Dental Association, an approval seal is also stamped on the container.

Finally, the packaged toothbrushes are grouped and put into larger shipping boxes or crates then transported to distributors.

Quality Control

The American Dental Association tests a number of dentistry-related items each year, including toothbrushes. They assess the efficiency and comfort of every product that meets their criteria for quality, and then awards it the “ADA Seal of Acceptance.” By 1994, they approved more than 45 different toothbrush brands.