"The History of Teeth Whitening!"

"When Did All This Interest in Teeth Whitening Begin?"

Well, believe it or not, it didn't just start in today's modern age.

We can trace the history of teeth whitening as far back as 3000BC when recorded history tells us that  people were using what were called,  “chew sticks”, to clean and most assuredly, even whiten their teeth. Chew sticks were made out of branches. One end of the branch was frayed and used to rub on their teeth to polish and clean off food particles.

Learn more about the history of the toothbrush....

Then, along came the all-important addition of toothpaste for whiter teeth

We know that Egyptians used toothpaste around 2000 BC. It is recorded that they made toothpaste of powdered pumice stone and wine vinegar. And, of course, it was brushed on with - you guessed it- a chew stick!

Seems that the Romans were also into toothpaste a few hundred years later but they added a twist to the formula. First-century Romans used toothpaste containing human urine since they figured out that the ammonia in urine cleans and, yes, folks, whitens teeth!

One more little tidbit about tooth whitening toothpastes....human urine was used into the 18th century! Of course, today, we use a variation of agents in our toothpaste to whiten teeth.

We're smarter, now, and know what is good for us and what harms our teeth in the process of striving for beauty. A good whitening toothpaste adds healthy ingredients like Aloe Vera to strengthens gums  and Sodium Fluoride to fight decay along with whitening agents.

Learn more about the history of toothpaste....

In The Not To Far Distant Past...

As I said, people have been trying to find all kinds of ways to whiten their teeth.

Not so very long ago, before there were dentists, barbers pulled teeth and took care of oral matters,. People who wanted a whiter smile subjected themselves to the application of nitric acid. Now, as you can imagine, this was highly corrosive to their teeth. Add to that the more dramatic practice of filing down the teeth with a metal file and it wasn't long before these people lost their teeth to decay.

That's proof just how far someone is willing to go to have white teeth!

Modern Tooth Whitening Practices

Remembers when it took all night to whiten your teeth? As short a time ago as the early 90's, overnight teeth whitening was the norm. Carbamide peroxide in low concentrations gels were loaded into molded mouth trays and the individual seeking beauty in whiter teeth would wear this all night long.

But, this soon changed. Around 1997, a research study showed that the majority of active ingredient in the whitening material wore off in the first hour. Plus, there was  a high rate of sensitivity and some people got a scratchy throat from swallowing the gel in their sleep.

So, it was concluded that wearing a whitening tray all night long did very little whitening and a great deal of side damage.

Which brings us to today.

Today, modern teeth whitening kits use a higher concentration whitening gel that has proven effective and safe. The safest teeth whitener kits use a non-glycerin based solution means reduced sensitivity....and you can wear the mouth trays for as little as an hour and up to 4 -5 hours to get the fastest results without harm to your gums.

Learn more about modern history of teeth whitening kits....