The History of Teeth Whitening

Although teeth whitening appears to be a relatively new practice, its history is long and varied: dating back hundreds of years, people have always taken care to ensure their smiles are as attractive as possible, and this practice has merely evolved over the centuries.

While today people are used to teeth whitening treatments involving gel and heat lamps or special toothpastes, the history of teeth whitening is quite different. Looking after our teeth is nothing new to the human race, with early human cultures using frayed branches called 'chew sticks' to scrape any unwanted particles from their teeth and to maintain health and strength.

Toothbrushes came into existence at the beginning of the fourteenth century and were used to keep teeth clean and white, largely by the upper classes of Europe who wanted to look their best. Before these even existed, however, toothpaste was used by the Ancient Egyptians, who combined them with 'chew sticks' to keep their teeth white.

Intentional teeth whitening treatments didn't make an appearance until some time later. During the 18th century, it was the job of local barbers to conduct teeth whitening procedures on willing clientele. In a somewhat barbaric treatment, the barber would file down the teeth of their patient and use nitric acid, a powerful corrosive, to whiten them. This entailed the destruction of tooth enamel, but to people who wanted shining white smiles the future prospect of losing all of their teeth was a small price to pay for physical glamour.

Thankfully, teeth whitening has come along in leaps and bounds since those days and now treatments are not only safe but pain free. At the beginning of the 19th century, fluoride was discovered to have a positive effect on the colour of teeth in Italy. Fluoride was made into lozenge form and people were encouraged to suck on these sweets, which were flavoured with honey, to improve their teeth. However, it was later discovered that too much fluoride can have the opposite effect on teeth, so it is now used sparingly.

Nowadays, having a killer smile is just as popular as it always was. The only difference, however, is that our methods are far safer and effective than fluoride lozenges, stick-brushing or using nasty corrosive acid for the sake of our looks. Dentists now utilise specific treatments like teeth whitening gels and other forms of cosmetic dentistry in order to help us achieve the shiny smiles we hope to achieve - and it's far easier to get treatment all across the globe, from teeth whitening in London to the rest of the UK and beyond.