How did ancient people clean their teeth and mouth

How did ancient people clean their teeth and mouth? The history encyclopedia editor brings relevant content to everyone. Interested friends, come and take a look!
Modern people have become accustomed to brushing their teeth every day, and there may be a situation where they feel extremely uncomfortable if they don’t brush their teeth for a day. So some people may wonder, how uncomfortable did ancient people feel without toothbrushes and toothpaste? In fact, although ancient people did not have toothbrushes, they did not simply ignore their oral health, but had corresponding methods to clean their mouth and teeth.
In Dream of the Red Chamber, after meals, the maids would rinse their mouths with tea. Rinsing mouth with tea is a method of oral hygiene developed in early ancient times. In fact, the first method used by ancient people to clean their mouth and teeth was through the use of mouthwash. Earlier, it was said to be wine, vinegar, salt water, tea, and warm water. Alcohol, vinegar, salt water, etc. all have antibacterial effects, and have the effect of “cleaning teeth with salt, no dental problems on weekdays”. Tea, on the other hand, was believed by ancient people to remove greasiness and strengthen teeth. According to modern pharmacological analysis, tea contains fluoride and vitamins, which have the effects of cleaning the mouth and preventing cavities.
Another method of cleaning teeth in ancient times was to brush teeth with special medications. In the sixth century of the Southern Dynasty, people invented a type of medicinal powder called“
Black mane on the mouth and teeth
”. This product is made by grinding various medicines such as soapberry horn, lotus leaf, green salt, etc. It has the functions of cleaning and disinfecting, anti-inflammatory, analgesic teeth, and whitening teeth.
The Tang Dynasty improved this type of tooth cleaning powder, and people developed tooth cleaning powders such as Tianma, Asarum, Auricularia auricula, and Lengshi.
In the Song Dynasty, people added some traditional Chinese medicine to this medicinal powder for clearing heat and detoxifying, which not only had a cleansing effect, but also had a therapeutic effect on oral diseases.
The specific methods of brushing teeth are one using fingers, and the other using a plant branch called “poplar branch” (such as tenge, reed, peach, locust, willow, etc.). In fact, it is very similar to today’s toothbrushes, except that it is not used with a toothbrush, but with hands or branches, using toothpaste powder. In addition, Buddhism has also made its own contribution in cleaning teeth, and “Yangzhi” is an invention of Buddhism. According to Buddhist scriptures, monks chew “willow branches” every day to clean their mouths and teeth. It is said to have the effects of removing oral dirt, anti-inflammatory and detoxifying, and producing a fragrant mouth. Famous doctor Li Shizhen praised this method endlessly, saying that using tender willow branches to “cut into dental branches is a wonderful way to clean teeth”. Later on, this method also spread to the public, and “Yangzhi” further became an ordinary “toothbrush”.