Little known is that the earliest "toothbrush" in China has a history of more than 1000 years, while Europe did not appear until17th century, 600 years later than us.
In ancient clan society, people lived in groups and made a living by fishing, hunting and collecting wild fruits. With the discovery and use of fire, people's dietary conditions have made a qualitative leap, and their physical fitness and quality of life have been greatly improved. But every time after eating food, you will encounter the embarrassing thing that residue is stuffed into your teeth, which is neither comfortable nor hygienic.
There were no toothpicks to pick teeth in ancient times. What should I do?
Therefore, the ancients found tiny branches and fishbones, or directly used their nails to dig out the residue between their teeth, and then rinsed their mouths with clear water to achieve the purpose of cleaning their mouths. At that time, people probably didn't realize the benefits of their actions to their teeth and mouth, but they just felt very comfortable and completely natural. Later, the habit of tooth washing gradually spread, forming the most primitive oral hygiene and cleaning behavior.
The earliest concept of dental and oral health care was born in Shang Dynasty. As we all know, Oracle Bone Inscriptions is the oldest known writing in China, and it is named after it is engraved on the tortoise shell of animal bones. In the Book of Yin Ruins, we found many words related to teeth, such as the shape of teeth with the word "caries" arranged in the mouth at the bottom and a curved bug eating teeth at the top. The word "Fa" is more vivid and represents the meaning of tooth worm.
Wine has a long history in China, which can be traced back to around 5000 BC at the latest. Before Yuan Dynasty, people drank more low-alcohol fermented wine, but if they drank too much, it would also cause tooth decay. Yin people especially like drinking, so they often suffer from dental diseases. In Oracle Bone Inscriptions of Shang Dynasty, there were more than 40 records about "diseased teeth", and various oral diseases were carefully divided.
According to the Book of Rites, as early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, people have developed the habit of gargling with salt water to clean their teeth after getting up every day. There is a saying that "teeth cannot be removed in the morning and evening" in the Han Dynasty medical book "Health Prescription", which advocates gargling to prevent and treat oral diseases. During the Western Han Dynasty, Chunyu Kun, a famous doctor in Qizhong, thought that there were two reasons for the formation of dental caries: one was to breathe with the mouth when sleeping, and the other was not to rinse the mouth after eating. He asked patients to gargle with Sophora flavescens soup every day, three liters a day, and it could be cured within a week.
With the continuous improvement of social productivity and people's cognitive level, people pay more and more attention to gargling, not only after meals, but also before going to bed to keep the mouth clean and away from diseases. In addition to gargling with clear water, there are many materials such as salt water, strong tea and Chinese medicine soup. Salt water can not only disinfect, but also have a health care effect on teeth; Strong tea can regulate the spleen and stomach and eliminate boredom; Chinese herbal medicine decoction can effectively prevent and treat dental caries and other dental diseases.
The gargling method is simple and easy, which greatly improves the hygiene habits and quality of life of the ancients, and plays an indispensable role in strengthening the body and prolonging life. But later, people gradually discovered the disadvantage of gargling, that is, they could not completely remove the food residue between their teeth. So the ancients invented some methods of brushing teeth.
The easiest way is to clean your teeth with your fingers. This method has a long tradition, and the earliest related records can be found in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. Yuan Lei recorded that salt or medicine was chewed in his mouth or rubbed on his hands to clean his teeth. Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes is located at an important node of the Silk Road, and its splendid murals are world-famous.
In the famous mural "The Holy Change of Old Du Cha", there is an interesting picture of wiping teeth. I saw an ordained man who shaved five big and three thick hairs, squatting on the ground to clean his teeth with his hands, holding a flask in his left hand and putting his right hand on his teeth to "brush his teeth". The portrait is lifelike, showing the image of ancient people wiping their teeth to the world.
Since the Tang Dynasty, people have learned to wipe their teeth with cloth instead of fingers. People wrap clean white cloth around their fingers to wipe their teeth, and sometimes Chinese herbal medicines are soaked in the cloth. Sun Simiao was a famous physician in the Tang Dynasty, and also the pioneer of "hanging silk to feel pulse". He compiled folk remedies into "A Thousand Daughters' Prescriptions" and gained the reputation of "King of Medicine". Sun Simiao was born in poverty. When he grew up, he gradually became interested in Taoism of Laozi and Zhuangzi. He lived in seclusion in Taibai Mountain for a long time and was nicknamed "Miaoying Real Person".
There is a saying in the chapter of "Dental Diseases" in "Forward Fang Yao": "Put a little salt into your mouth every day, rinse your mouth with warm water, wipe your teeth with a tooth cloth, and pat it for 100 times for five days at the same time, and your teeth will become firm and firm." There is a record of "100 pieces of tooth-wiping cloth" in the Buddhist inscription Famen Temple in Tang Dynasty. These tooth cleaning cloths were presented to the Buddha by the imperial court.
If the Tang Dynasty was the "faint" of China in the middle ages, then the Song Dynasty was the "early" of modern society.
Song Dynasty was a peak period of social and economic development in ancient China, with the rapid development of science and technology and great progress in medical care. People discovered the special role of Yang Liuzhi in dental care, so the method of "chewing gum in the morning" began to appear. People soak willow branches in water until they become soft, and then pat a section of them flat, so that the plant fibers in them are scattered and form a "toothbrush" shape, which can completely clean every corner of the mouth.
This tooth brushing tool made of wicker is soft and tough, which can not only effectively remove food residues, but also make people feel comfortable to clean. In addition, Yang Liuzhi has the medicinal value of expelling wind and removing dampness, reducing swelling and relieving pain, and naturally becomes people's favorite to brush their teeth and clear their mouths. Relevant records can be found in many medical classics in Song Dynasty.
According to folklore, the method of brushing teeth with Yang Liuzhi was invented by Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism. Sakyamuni is very particular about personal hygiene, and brushes his teeth after meals as the content of his children's practice, which is strictly restricted. In our impression, Guanyin Bodhisattva always holds a pure bottle in her left hand and Yang Liuzhi in her right hand, which shows that Buddhism has special feelings for willow trees.
In ancient times, washing hair was called "bath" and washing body was called "bath". The standard bathing method is recorded in the Indian Buddhist classic "Buddha's Bathing Sutra in Greenhouse", which mentions seven things to clean the body: burning fire, clear water, bathing beans, cream, pure ash, poplar branches and underwear. Buddhism was introduced into China from Tianzhu (ancient India) in the Han Dynasty. This method of cleaning oral cavity with Yang Liuzhi had a far-reaching impact on the Han people.
According to archaeological research, around the end of the Tang Dynasty, people in China had invented the world's earliest toothbrush, and the way people brushed their teeth had also changed a lot.
1985, four bone toothbrush handles were unearthed in the ash pit of Tang Dynasty in Chengdu. It is 17.8cm long, wide at the front and narrow at the back, with 12 implant holes in the head and six holes in two rows, which is very similar to modern toothbrushes.
Coincidentally, in 1953, two bone toothbrush handles were also found in the tomb of Ma Xu of Liao State in Chifeng, which were placed in a white porcelain basin with a silver bowl with gold-plated dragon patterns. The three should be the supporting tools for washing in ancient times, which embodies the advanced manufacturing technology of toothbrushes in Liao country.
In ancient times, there was no plastic. Generally speaking, toothbrush handles can only be made of animal bones, bamboo branches and wood. The head is drilled with two rows of fine holes and embedded with bristles, which are usually ponytails. Daoyuan, a Japanese Buddhist monk, once lived in China. After returning to China, he wrote the book True Eyes, which recorded in detail the scene of China Mountain Temple monks brushing their teeth in 1223.
The ancients did not call this tool for cleaning oral cavity "toothbrush", but called it "toothbrush". The first inventor of the word "toothbrush" was Yan Yonghe of the Southern Song Dynasty. He first mentioned "toothbrush" in Fang Jisheng. "Brushing your teeth with a toothbrush every morning and then brushing your teeth with the juice made of Gleditsia sinensis powder can avoid dental diseases."
Shops specializing in the production and operation of brushing tools appeared in the Song Dynasty. Lin 'an market, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, was bustling with shops. Various toiletries such as mirrors, wooden combs, pots and pans are displayed in "Miscellaneous Goods".
The prosperity of commodity trading shows that people at that time have regarded brushing their teeth as a necessity in daily life, so the demand for toothbrushes is in short supply in the market. Even the earliest toothpaste appeared in this period. In the Song Dynasty, Chinese herbal medicines such as willow branches, Sophora branches and mulberry branches were boiled into paste and mixed with ginger juice and peony powder to clean teeth.
Brushing teeth is a common trivial matter in our life, but in ancient China, it vividly reflected the progress of social productive forces and the improvement of people's pursuit of quality of life. From the earliest mouthwash and tooth brushing to the plant toothbrush and herbal toothpaste in Song Dynasty, the oral hygiene of China people has been continuously improved, with fresh breath and longer life. Since people used toothbrushes in Song Dynasty, it has a history of 1000 years, which can be said to be a great contribution of China to the civilized lifestyle of modern people.