Did you know toothpicks originated in ancient Mesopotamia?
At the end of a sumptuous meal, the stubborn pieces of food morsels sometimes refuse to leave the teeth and gums. This can be quite unsettling. But thankfully, we have a solution to this rather irritating problem—toothpicks. With its needle-like precision, it is one of the most suitable oral hygiene tools ever made. But, who should we really thank for this extremely useful gum gear?
World’s first toothpicks
Believe it or not, the practice of picking teeth has existed since the time of Neanderthals or prehistoric humans. In fact, fossil evidence found in ancient skulls have revealed so. Similarly, remains of native Australian tribe Aborigines, prehistoric Native Americans as well as ancient Egyptians have also shown signs of teeth picking. But the teeth indentations reveal that they mostly used their hands for the purpose.
Okay, so when exactly did toothpicks come into play? Well, that would be in ancient Mesopotamia. In order to keep their dental crevices clean, these civilised people were the first to make toothpick-like instruments out of bronze, silver and other metals. By the Middle Ages, using toothpicks had become quite a ritual, especially among privileged Europeans who often carried gold or silver toothpicks.
Fun fact: Queen Elizabeth I is known to have owned six gold toothpicks.
Journey of toothpick from bird feather to deer bone to wood
You will be surprised to know that the lowly, disposable and mass-produced wooden toothpicks as we know today didn’t always exist. While the nobles and the royals could afford metal toothpicks, commoners had to find out other sources. This is when the Romans came up with a creative solution. They made toothpicks simply by pulling off bird feathers, chopping off the quills and sharpening the tip. This method soon spread across the world, including the Americas. However, like everything else, the Americans wanted to do things differently. Therefore, they carved out toothpicks from deer bones. On the other hand, Eskimos, in absence of other materials, made use of walrus whiskers for the same.
What’s interesting however is that, back then, wood was considered highly unsuitable for picking teeth. Why? Because most tree twigs either wore down when they got wet by exposure to saliva or gave splinters to people. The only exception to this was the mastic gum tree native to southern Europe that the Romans first came upon. They had realised that it had teeth whitening property and even had a pleasant aroma.
Toothpick for the common people
Over the course of time, toothpick rose in popularity and businesses starting growing around it. In fact, around mid-16th century, toothpicks started being produced in bulk. This can be traced all the way to Mondego River Valley in Portugal where nuns based at Mos-teiro de Lorvao monastery, in the municipality of Coimbra, started hand-making toothpicks. Their goal was to create a disposable tool that will help dislodge residues left behind by sticky confections on both teeth and nails. But they were quick to realise something. None of the above materials was suitable for mass production and only fine wood served their purpose. They experimented with various kinds of wood and finally realised that fine-quality orangewood when carved with a sharp jack-knife can make an ideal toothpick. The technique was also cost-effective and fairly easy. Over time, this particular region of Portugal became the toothpick capital of the world and they exported to all parts of the globe, especially the Americas.
Meet Charles Foster, the father of modern-day toothpicks
Fast forward to the 19th century, when an American entrepreneur named Charles Foster chanced upon Portuguese samples of toothpicks. He was impressed with their precision and high quality and excellent oral hygiene. This is when, inspired by his friend American inventor Benjamin Franklin Sturtevant (he made the world’s first shoe-making machine), he decided to mass-produce millions of toothpicks.
Unfortunately, Americans didn’t appreciate his business idea as they were comfortable with the act of flossing and found teeth picking unnecessary. But Foster was a stubborn man and he freely distributed his samples all across the country’s eateries. In fact, it so happened that he hired grad students to pose as marketers and offer people toothpicks at dine-outs, especially in the posh neighbourhoods. He even collaborated with restaurants and asked then to offer everyone a sample of toothpick when they left after meals.
Guess what happened next? Americans soon realised the value of toothpicks and even started demanding them on their own. That’s how toothpicks became mainstream!
Toothpicks galore!
While we continue to use Foster’s toothpicks today, these oral hygiene tools did go through some changes. For instance, in the late 19th century, Alphons Krizek, a Philadelphia-based businessman received a patent to improve toothpicks. This is when he came up with a toothpick that has a hooked end and a spoon-shaped mechanism, designed to clean hollow and sensitive teeth. There were also others who tried to make retractable toothpicks, flavoured toothpicks and scented toothpicks.