Thanksgiving is a time we eat lots of delicious food, give thanks for who and what we have, and spend time with family and friends. Although the Thanksgiving tradition has not changed much since the time of the Pilgrims and Native Americans, dental care has changed tremendously.
Native Americans had many more resources than the pilgrims traveling on the Mayflower. Native Americans had a healthier diet due to living off the land and gathering nuts and berries, hunting and planting crops such as corn. The pilgrims however had to have food that would not rot such as dried meats, grains, beans, beer, and lots of hardtack (similar to a biscuit made of only flour, salt and water). This diet made the pilgrims dental health very poor.
Since toothbrushes were not introduced into the US until 1885, they both had to use items of the land to clean their teeth. Both the pilgrims and the Native Americans used things such as animal hair tied to a twig, needles from a pine tree, or animal bones as toothbrushes or floss. The Native Americans did however have an advantage and used herbs like sage, tarragon or the cucacua plant to make their version of toothpaste. While the pilgrims also used similar things their diet was not as balanced as the Native Americans therefore they had more complicated oral health issues.
This thanksgiving Magic Smiles Dental and our family will give thanks for the technology that has evolved in dental and oral health. We are thankful for the toothbrushes that come in so many different colors, shapes and sizes, the toothpaste that has evolved from a yucky paste to the much more pleasant variety of flavors we now have and helps keep our mouth clean and breath fresh and the dentist whom went to school for years to help us keep our smiles nice and beautiful.
Happy Thanksgiving from the Magic Smiles Dental family to yours! Remember to brush and floss after you eat your Thanksgiving meal!
FAQs
Both the pilgrims and the Native Americans used things such as animal hair tied to a twig, needles from a pine tree, or animal bones as toothbrushes or floss. The Native Americans did however have an advantage and used herbs like sage, tarragon or the cucacua plant to make their version of toothpaste.
How did Native Americans take care of their teeth? ›
Natural Toothcare Techniques
Native Americans cleaned their teeth by using chewsticks and chewing on fresh herbs to cleanse their teeth and gums. Chewsticks were twigs that had two uses: one end was frayed by a rock and used for brushing, while the other end was sharpened and used as a tooth pick.
How did ancient humans deal with teeth? ›
Ancient teeth have been found with wearing patterns that were probably made from using toothpicks. Many different people groups frayed the ends of twigs to create toothbrushes. The Chinese chewed on aromatic tree twigs to freshen breath and invented the first known toothbrushes.
How did sailors brush their teeth? ›
As you might imagine, pirates didn't have regular access to vitamin C while sailing, meaning that they were susceptible to scurvy. Poor oral hygiene – The toothbrush as we know it wasn't quite so common when pirates frequented the seas; they relied on rags or twigs with frayed ends to clean their teeth.
What did Native Americans use as toothpaste? ›
For instance, Native Americans developed their version of toothpaste. They used herbs like Tarragon and the Cucacua plant to create a paste similar to our modern day toothpaste.
What did pilgrims use to clean their teeth? ›
Since toothbrushes were not introduced into the US until 1885, they both had to use items of the land to clean their teeth. Both the pilgrims and the Native Americans used things such as animal hair tied to a twig, needles from a pine tree, or animal bones as toothbrushes or floss.
How did people take care of their teeth? ›
Before toothbrushes, many used chew sticks, thin twigs they would gnaw on until one end frayed, creating a sort of brush. Chew sticks remain in wide use in some cultures today.
How did royals brush their teeth? ›
They used rough linen cloths to clean their teeth, often accompanied with a variety of pastes and powders used to whiten teeth and preserve fresh breath. The ingredients in these were far from the fluoride we know today.
How did cowboys clean their teeth? ›
Salt and charcoal were often rubbed across the teeth and then rinsed away. However, the most common way of taking care of teeth involved taking a birch twig and fraying the end, making a primitive brush. Dental powders were also used. They were made from strange concoctions of burned eggshells ashes and animal hooves.
How did the Vikings brush their teeth? ›
In addition, the study found evidence that Vikings used toothpicks to dislodge bits of food. Most interestingly, no carious lesions were found on the teeth with abrasions caused by tooth picking. According to the researchers, this implies that some of the Vikings were keen to keep their teeth clean.
Corn to Purify the Skin
Corn had a crucial importance in ancient Native American life. As well as being used as a food source, many Native Americans ground up corn to use as a cleanser for the skin.
What did Native Americans use shark teeth for? ›
Although most were probably used as projectile points, knives, or scraping tools, intentionally drilled holes near the root areas on some fossil teeth indicate that a few were possibly used as ornaments, for religious purposes, or as curios.
What did Native Americans use for gum? ›
Chicle gum is extracted from the sap of the sapodilla tree trunk. The Aztec Indians harvested and used the latex and gums produced from the sapodilla tree. Native Americans taught New England colonists to chew spruce sap, which became the first commercially sold chewing gum.
How do tribal people keep their teeth clean? ›
Oral hygiene practices among tribal were found to be minimal and were not up to the mark. For cleaning teeth chewing, sticks were mainly used by majority (56.7%) of the participants. Furthermore, 7.7% of participants reported to use gudaku (a tobacco product) and 4.7% used salt for cleaning their teeth.
What is different about Native American teeth? ›
The presence of shovel-shaped incisors, among many dental characteristics, is used in forensic dentistry to identify an individual's ancestry, since this trait occurs predominantly in Asian and Native American populations.
What did Native Americans do for toothache? ›
Instead of leaves, Comanches and other Native Americans chewed the tree's bark to dull a throbbing tooth. Warty, knobby spines cover the trunks of older trees — hence its other vernacular names of Hercules' club and prickly ash. Four species of Hercules' club, prickly ash or tickle-tongue range in Texas.
What did Native Americans do with baby teeth? ›
Certain Native American tribes, such as the Cherokee, throw a fallen baby tooth onto the roof while calling to a beaver to give them a strong new tooth. Other tribes, such as the Dene Yellowknives, put their baby teeth in straight trees, encouraging the new tooth to grow in as straight as the trunk.
