Toothbrush

Hello. I am a friendly toothbrush. My special job is to make your teeth sparkly clean. I love to dance with bubbly toothpaste and tickle your teeth to get them all shiny and bright. It is so much fun. A long, long time ago, people did not have a friend like me to help them. They used things like little twigs or pieces of cloth to try and clean their teeth. It was not very easy and not nearly as much fun as brushing with me.

My real story started with a very clever man named William Addis. It was way back, around the year 1780, in a country called England. One day, William was sitting quietly when he saw a big broom sweeping the floor. Swish, swish, swish. He watched the bristles clean up all the dust, and suddenly he had a wonderful, bright idea. He thought, 'What if there was a tiny broom just for teeth.' So, he found a small, clean bone for my handle and some stiff little animal hairs to be my bristles. He carefully tied them together, and poof. The very first real me was created. I was so excited to start my important job of cleaning teeth.

I have changed a lot since that first day. My first bristles were a little bit scratchy. But then, on a very important day, February 24th, 1938, some smart people made new bristles that were much softer and safer. They were made of something called nylon, which is perfect for gently tickling teeth. Now, I come in all the colors of the rainbow. I can be big for grown-ups or little for kids just like you. I am so happy that I get to help keep smiles healthy and bright every single day. It is the best job in the whole wide world.