Companies like EcoFam have a habit of marketing the compostable toothbrush as a new and revolutionary product. Sometimes, that's what it takes to properly market. But truth be told, the compostable toothbrush is not new at all.
Long before humans began using plastic sticks with bristles to clean our teeth, we simply used what nature provided. And guess what nature provides? All sorts of materials that are naturally compostable. Compared to how long nature has been providing such materials, modern plastic toothbrushes are the new products on the market.
Ancient Chew Sticks
There were no plastics factories churning out toothbrushes in ancient Egypt and Babylon. But the folks who lived back then still understood the value of clean teeth. So what did they use to brush? They used chew sticks. To us, a chew stick is the ultimate compostable toothbrush.
A chew stick is more or less a twig with a frayed tip. History suggests that the ancient Egyptians, Babylonians, and Greeks preferred twigs from aromatic trees. They frayed the edges and then used them to scrub their teeth. As a bonus, aromatic trees also provided sap with antibacterial properties, sap that could be used as ancient toothpaste.
Abrasive Powders
Chew sticks were not the only game in town thousands of years ago. Ancient civilizations also made use of abrasive powders that could be formulated into pastes and applied with the finger. And just like chew sticks, these powders and pastes were fully biodegradable.
Here are some examples:
● Egypt – Egyptians were known to mix egg shells, ox hooves, and pumice with wine vinegar to create an oral hygiene paste.
● Rome & Greece – The Romans and Greeks used a combination of powdered bones, charcoal, bark, and oyster shells to clean their teeth. The mixture could be combined with honey or vinegar to make it easier to use.
● China & India – Ancient Chinese and Indian cultures were known to create an abrasive powder with a combination of salt, herbs, and ginseng. It would be applied with the fingers or a cloth.
Looking at some of these ancient formulas is a reminder of how nature provides for so many of our needs. The least we can do to protect such natural resources is to adopt a sustainability mindset.
There Were Some Stranger Options
Given what we know about ancient cultures, it makes perfect sense to combine things like herbs, pumice, and powdered bones to create a toothpaste. Freeing the end of an aromatic twig and using it to clean your teeth is completely logical. But ancient cultures weren't without their stranger options.
For example, history seems to suggest the unconventional use of urine is a mouthwash. Apparently, ancient Romans and Greeks understood that urine is rich in ammonia. They also figured out that ammonia was a good disinfectant and a capable whitening agent. It's not our thing, but to each their own.
Another strange option is the mouse skull. This wasn't so much to clean teeth. Rather, ground mouse skull was used to address toothaches. It seems likely that they were eliminating toothaches by filling cavities. Meanwhile, they were also content to clean their teeth with brick dust and charcoal.
Nature's Materials Are Compostable
All the ancient oral hygiene practices mentioned in this post have their roots in what nature provides. Likewise, our compostable toothbrushes are designed around the same principle. What nature provides is compostable, at least for the most part. By using compostable materials for oral hygiene, we are reducing waste and returning to the earth what we took from it. That seems like a good deal to us.
