September 18, 2026 • 8 mins
We try to imagine what everyday life was like for folks living a few hundred years ago or even longer. But sometimes, we forget to take into account the simplest things . . like brushing your teeth or replacing them if you ran into issues. What did they use before toothpaste or worse yet, implants? It’s not a pretty picture and it will probably make you grit your teeth.
Feel free to DM me if you have a story you’d like me to cover . . on Facebook it’s Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, between you and me, lately I've been getting
some intense dental work done, and that kind of made
me think about what folks went through in the past.
As you've probably heard, George Washington had one awful set
of teeth, but his dental problems were nothing unusual among
our ancestors, whether you were rich or poor. So how
did folks try to protect or even replace their chompers
(00:23):
before toothpaste and modern dentistry? I'm Patti Steele. Think human pee,
ground-up glass, and if all else failed, using other people's
teeth to replace your own. That's next on The Backstory.
We're back with The Backstory. Well, as I mentioned, I've
(00:43):
been getting some dental rearranging done, and it's been pretty
easy for the most part. But it got me to thinking.
We take brushing our teeth for granted. Every morning, most
of us reach for a toothbrush, squeeze out some toothpaste,
and brush for one or two minutes, rinse, and spit.
Maybe at some point we do a little flossing, but
then we move on with our day. It's so ordinary,
(01:05):
we pretty much hardly think about it. But here's the thing.
For thousands of years, keeping your teeth clean could involve
some remarkably unpleasant ingredients. In fact, some were downright disgusting.
Same thing goes for how we replace the ones we lost.
Take the father of our country. Lots of stories about
George Washington's teeth. And no, they were not made of wood. Mostly,
(01:28):
they were made of ivory, hippopotamus tusk, as well as
animal teeth. And like a lot of aristocratic types, he
even acquired some of his replacement teeth from other human
beings willing to sell them or give them up. Now,
the problem is, particularly in the 17th and 18th century,
lots of people had major dental problems because sugar consumption
(01:51):
in those days had quadrupled. It led to tons of
cavities and rotted teeth. frequently removed by barbers or even
blacksmiths using some pretty scary-looking tools. But dental problems had
been around since human beings started chewing on things, so
folks had to figure out a way of keeping their
natural teeth or replacing them. Before modern toothpaste, people experimented
(02:15):
with whatever they thought might scrub their teeth, freshen their breath,
or cure a toothache. And some of those remedies were
really weird. Check this out. And trust me, you'll never
complain about the taste of toothpaste again. Ancient Egyptians were
actually manic about cleanliness, and that included their teeth. They
created tooth cleaning powders using really abrasive ingredients like salt.
(02:40):
It made sense, in theory, if you could scrape that
junk off your teeth and from in between them, your
teeth would be cleaner, right? But it was a lot
more complicated. Different recipes included things like crushed glass, minerals
and herbs. Yes, those powders were abrasive and they scrubbed
the surface of your teeth, but they were tough on
the enamel and on gums and the tender tissue inside
(03:03):
your mouth. But it was the first attempt at making
some kind of toothpaste. Then it was the Romans' turn,
and it was a strange turn. The Romans used urine
for all kinds of cleaning purposes, and yes, that included
their mouths. Roman writers described pee being used as a
tooth-cleaning agent. Why? Because urine contains ammonia, which they knew
(03:27):
had cleaning properties. Best of all, there was an endless
supply of it, right? In fact, urine became valuable enough
that it could be collected and sold. Imagine walking into
a Roman marketplace and seeing containers of pee on sale.
Bring it home, start polishing those pearly whites. But urine
wasn't the only odd thing people put in their mouths.
(03:49):
For centuries, people used powders made from things like the
aforementioned salt, as well as ground-up glass, charcoal, burned hare's head,
whatever that is, and crushed shells, all easy to get
a hold of and seem to do the job. Then
you'd rinse with a bit of pee. Great. Which leads
us to the need for sweeter breath, right? Well, for that,
(04:11):
they chewed on herbs and spices. Thing is, a pleasant-smelling
mouth isn't necessarily a healthy mouth. For most of history,
people had no idea why their teeth hurt or loosened
up and fell out. They had some wild theories. One
of the most famous was the tooth worm. For centuries,
a lot of people believed that a tiny worm lived
(04:33):
inside a painful tooth, causing toothaches and decay. Of course,
there was no worm. So what did they use to
brush their teeth? Well, before the modern toothbrush, folks frequently
used pieces of cloth. They'd rub their teeth with it
until they were shiny clean. Sometimes they'd use a small stick,
which was actually pretty effective. In fact, the chew stick
(04:55):
tradition survives in some parts of the world even today.
But it was in China that brushes using animal hair
bristles were developed centuries ago. They were attached to a handle,
so you know what? They look pretty much like our
modern toothbrushes. And the concept eventually spread. Now, when it
came to dealing with serious tooth problems, people tried some
(05:16):
pretty weird remedies. The thing is, before modern dentistry, a
bad tooth could become a serious problem. No antibiotics, no
modern fillings, no sophisticated root canals, and worst of all,
pretty much no anesthetics. If a tooth became badly infected,
one of the only solutions was to rip it out.
That's why historical dentistry was often associated with tooth pulling.
(05:40):
And the person doing the extraction wasn't what we'd recognize
as a dentist today. Sometimes the local blacksmith, who had
access to a lot of big iron tools, would be
the one to do it. And barbers frequently performed dental procedures.
In fact, you know the traditional red and white barber pole?
That has historical connections to the days when barbers performed
(06:02):
bloodletting and other medical procedures. Yep, dental work could be brutal.
If you look in old museums that involve dental implements,
you'll see dentures made with all kinds of metal and
wires and screws and springs. It looked really uncomfortable. I
guess the most important lesson about taking care of our
(06:23):
teeth actually came from people who were constantly experimenting. Some
experiments worked, some didn't. Some probably made things worse. But eventually,
science began catching up. Tooth decay wasn't caused by mysterious worms.
We discovered the importance of bacteria and dental plaque. Eventually,
fluoride became an important part of modern dental care because
(06:45):
of its ability to strengthen enamel and help prevent cavities.
Toothpaste became safer and gentler on the teeth, and toothbrushes
became inexpensive and mass-produced. So that little tube sitting by
your bathroom sink represents an extraordinary transformation. Our ancestors were
rubbing their teeth with cloth, chewing twigs, scrubbing with salt
(07:08):
and charcoal. And yes, Romans were putting urine, human pee,
in their mouths. Today, we have toothpaste formulated for the
chemistry of the human mouth, soft-bristled toothbrushes, dental floss, fluoride,
and professional cleanings. We have dentists who can actually see
what's happening inside our mouths. So the next time you
(07:30):
grumble about having to brush your teeth or floss... Remember this.
At one point in human history, somebody thought urine was
a reasonable alternative. Oh, and I'll let you know when
my tooth odyssey wraps up. I hope you're enjoying the
backstory with Patti Steele. Please leave a review and follow
or subscribe for free to get new episodes delivered automatically. Also,
(07:53):
feel free to DM me if you have a story
you'd like me to cover. On Facebook, it's Patti Steele,
and on Instagram, RealPattiSteele. Thanks for listening to The Backstory
with Patti Steele, the pieces of history you didn't know
(08:13):
you needed to know.
All right, between you and me, lately I've been getting
some intense dental work done, and that kind of made
me think about what folks went through in the past.
As you've probably heard, George Washington had one awful set
of teeth, but his dental problems were nothing unusual among
our ancestors, whether you were rich or poor. So how
did folks try to protect or even replace their chompers
(00:23):
before toothpaste and modern dentistry? I'm Patti Steele. Think human pee,
ground-up glass, and if all else failed, using other people's
teeth to replace your own. That's next on The Backstory.
We're back with The Backstory. Well, as I mentioned, I've
(00:43):
been getting some dental rearranging done, and it's been pretty
easy for the most part. But it got me to thinking.
We take brushing our teeth for granted. Every morning, most
of us reach for a toothbrush, squeeze out some toothpaste,
and brush for one or two minutes, rinse, and spit.
Maybe at some point we do a little flossing, but
then we move on with our day. It's so ordinary,
(01:05):
we pretty much hardly think about it. But here's the thing.
For thousands of years, keeping your teeth clean could involve
some remarkably unpleasant ingredients. In fact, some were downright disgusting.
Same thing goes for how we replace the ones we lost.
Take the father of our country. Lots of stories about
George Washington's teeth. And no, they were not made of wood. Mostly,
(01:28):
they were made of ivory, hippopotamus tusk, as well as
animal teeth. And like a lot of aristocratic types, he
even acquired some of his replacement teeth from other human
beings willing to sell them or give them up. Now,
the problem is, particularly in the 17th and 18th century,
lots of people had major dental problems because sugar consumption
(01:51):
in those days had quadrupled. It led to tons of
cavities and rotted teeth. frequently removed by barbers or even
blacksmiths using some pretty scary-looking tools. But dental problems had
been around since human beings started chewing on things, so
folks had to figure out a way of keeping their
natural teeth or replacing them. Before modern toothpaste, people experimented
(02:15):
with whatever they thought might scrub their teeth, freshen their breath,
or cure a toothache. And some of those remedies were
really weird. Check this out. And trust me, you'll never
complain about the taste of toothpaste again. Ancient Egyptians were
actually manic about cleanliness, and that included their teeth. They
created tooth cleaning powders using really abrasive ingredients like salt.
(02:40):
It made sense, in theory, if you could scrape that
junk off your teeth and from in between them, your
teeth would be cleaner, right? But it was a lot
more complicated. Different recipes included things like crushed glass, minerals
and herbs. Yes, those powders were abrasive and they scrubbed
the surface of your teeth, but they were tough on
the enamel and on gums and the tender tissue inside
(03:03):
your mouth. But it was the first attempt at making
some kind of toothpaste. Then it was the Romans' turn,
and it was a strange turn. The Romans used urine
for all kinds of cleaning purposes, and yes, that included
their mouths. Roman writers described pee being used as a
tooth-cleaning agent. Why? Because urine contains ammonia, which they knew
(03:27):
had cleaning properties. Best of all, there was an endless
supply of it, right? In fact, urine became valuable enough
that it could be collected and sold. Imagine walking into
a Roman marketplace and seeing containers of pee on sale.
Bring it home, start polishing those pearly whites. But urine
wasn't the only odd thing people put in their mouths.
(03:49):
For centuries, people used powders made from things like the
aforementioned salt, as well as ground-up glass, charcoal, burned hare's head,
whatever that is, and crushed shells, all easy to get
a hold of and seem to do the job. Then
you'd rinse with a bit of pee. Great. Which leads
us to the need for sweeter breath, right? Well, for that,
(04:11):
they chewed on herbs and spices. Thing is, a pleasant-smelling
mouth isn't necessarily a healthy mouth. For most of history,
people had no idea why their teeth hurt or loosened
up and fell out. They had some wild theories. One
of the most famous was the tooth worm. For centuries,
a lot of people believed that a tiny worm lived
(04:33):
inside a painful tooth, causing toothaches and decay. Of course,
there was no worm. So what did they use to
brush their teeth? Well, before the modern toothbrush, folks frequently
used pieces of cloth. They'd rub their teeth with it
until they were shiny clean. Sometimes they'd use a small stick,
which was actually pretty effective. In fact, the chew stick
(04:55):
tradition survives in some parts of the world even today.
But it was in China that brushes using animal hair
bristles were developed centuries ago. They were attached to a handle,
so you know what? They look pretty much like our
modern toothbrushes. And the concept eventually spread. Now, when it
came to dealing with serious tooth problems, people tried some
(05:16):
pretty weird remedies. The thing is, before modern dentistry, a
bad tooth could become a serious problem. No antibiotics, no
modern fillings, no sophisticated root canals, and worst of all,
pretty much no anesthetics. If a tooth became badly infected,
one of the only solutions was to rip it out.
That's why historical dentistry was often associated with tooth pulling.
(05:40):
And the person doing the extraction wasn't what we'd recognize
as a dentist today. Sometimes the local blacksmith, who had
access to a lot of big iron tools, would be
the one to do it. And barbers frequently performed dental procedures.
In fact, you know the traditional red and white barber pole?
That has historical connections to the days when barbers performed
(06:02):
bloodletting and other medical procedures. Yep, dental work could be brutal.
If you look in old museums that involve dental implements,
you'll see dentures made with all kinds of metal and
wires and screws and springs. It looked really uncomfortable. I
guess the most important lesson about taking care of our
(06:23):
teeth actually came from people who were constantly experimenting. Some
experiments worked, some didn't. Some probably made things worse. But eventually,
science began catching up. Tooth decay wasn't caused by mysterious worms.
We discovered the importance of bacteria and dental plaque. Eventually,
fluoride became an important part of modern dental care because
(06:45):
of its ability to strengthen enamel and help prevent cavities.
Toothpaste became safer and gentler on the teeth, and toothbrushes
became inexpensive and mass-produced. So that little tube sitting by
your bathroom sink represents an extraordinary transformation. Our ancestors were
rubbing their teeth with cloth, chewing twigs, scrubbing with salt
(07:08):
and charcoal. And yes, Romans were putting urine, human pee,
in their mouths. Today, we have toothpaste formulated for the
chemistry of the human mouth, soft-bristled toothbrushes, dental floss, fluoride,
and professional cleanings. We have dentists who can actually see
what's happening inside our mouths. So the next time you
(07:30):
grumble about having to brush your teeth or floss... Remember this.
At one point in human history, somebody thought urine was
a reasonable alternative. Oh, and I'll let you know when
my tooth odyssey wraps up. I hope you're enjoying the
backstory with Patti Steele. Please leave a review and follow
or subscribe for free to get new episodes delivered automatically. Also,
(07:53):
feel free to DM me if you have a story
you'd like me to cover. On Facebook, it's Patti Steele,
and on Instagram, RealPattiSteele. Thanks for listening to The Backstory
with Patti Steele, the pieces of history you didn't know
(08:13):
you needed to know.
Host
Patty Steele
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