Teeth brushing is an essential part of our daily routines.

We all want clean, white teeth, healthy gums, and fresh breath. That’s why brushing two, and sometimes three times a day, is a non-negotiable. Considering how necessary this habit is for our oral health, it raises an interesting question: how did people in ancient societies clean their teeth? Their methods were unique, to say the least.

Let’s explore the unusual (and sometimes painful) ways the ancient Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, and Chinese maintained their oral hygiene.

TOOTHPASTE TIMELINE

Colgate, Crest, Tom’s, and Sensodyne haven’t always been around. Before modern toothpaste, with ingredients like fluoride, calcium carbonate, and glycerol, people relied on simpler (and slightly concerning) solutions to clean and protect their teeth and gums. So, what exactly did they use before these name brands lined the shelves?

Nearly 250 years ago, people brushed with burnt bread crumbs. In 1824, a dentist named Dr. Peabody added soap to create a paste. By the 1850s, people turned to chalk and brick dust to maintain their bright smiles, and in 1873, Colgate began selling paste in glass jars (still no tube). The familiar toothpaste tube we use today is just 134 years old, and it wasn’t until 1989 that the first toothpaste to promise stain removal and whitening was introduced to consumers. 

If toothpaste tubes have only existed for a little over a century, what did humans use thousands of years ago to keep their teeth and gums from accumulating plaque and food residue? 

ANCIENT ROME AND ANCIENT GREECE

The people of ancient Rome arguably had the most intriguing oral hygiene routines. Around 200 AD, Romans brushed with frayed sticks and mixtures of ashes, eggshells, mouse skulls, hooves, oyster shells, pumice, bones, and pulverized charcoal (derived from burnt bones).

But what did they use to rinse all of these gritty ingredients out of their mouths? The answer is a bit unsettling.

After brushing, ancient Romans rinsed with urine (yes, urine), believing the ammonia helped whiten teeth and get rid of bacteria. In Greece, people chewed tree sap like gum and spit it out once their teeth felt clean. They also used “toothpaste” mixtures similar to those of the Romans. 

No matter how unpleasant these practices seem, they paved the way for dental crowns, bridges, and dentures (which ancient Romans typically fashioned with bone). Scientists studying well-preserved Roman remains found that, despite brushing with shells and rinsing with urine, their teeth were generally strong and healthy, nothing like the sugar-induced cavities we see today. 

ANCIENT EGYPT

Ancient Egyptian oral hygiene was less abrasive. Egyptians mixed crushed rock, salt, mint, iris flowers, and pepper. While this likely caused irritation, it stands as the “first recorded” toothpaste mixture, dating back to 4 AD.

Colorado Dental Group considers this recipe the “most effective historic dental regimen” used until the 1900s.

ANCIENT CHINA

If Romans and Greeks used bones and shells, and Egyptians used rocks, salt, and flowers, what about ancient China?

Ancient Chinese citizens relied on the mildest mixture: no rocks or bones, just ginseng, herbal mints, and salt. Some of these ingredients are still used in modern toothpastes. 

HISTORICAL SMILES

While mixtures varied from society to society, the goal was the same: a brushing motion with abrasive yet cleansing ingredients to maintain oral hygiene. Some of these ingredients seem unthinkable today, while others were surprisingly ahead of their time. 

We’ve come a long way in tooth-cleaning practices and toothpaste ingredients, but we owe these innovations to the ancient societies that cared enough about their smiles to develop the first oral hygiene routines. From ashes and eggshells to minty-fresh tubes, it’s clear that in 2026, our smiles have history on their side.

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