Toothpick... Predates Humans?

The toothpick is the oldest dental cleaning instrument and it is still used today. Toothpicks as we know them, are made primarily out of wood or plastic. So something got me thinking today, where did the toothpick come from? So I engaged in an interesting endeavor to find the "history of the toothpick" (and the bosses here at Savon wonder what they pay me for :) ).

I was intrigued to find that toothpick goes all the way back the Neanderthals almost 25,000 years ago. Archaeologists have found Neanderthal skulls that show evidence of their teeth being cleaned with a sharp pointed object. It was assumed that during this period in time that toothpicks were made of bone.

Bronze toothpicks were found in prehistoric burial sites in Mesopotamia, East Alps and Northern Italy. Ancient Roman artifacts contain toothpicks made of silver and mastic wood.

The 17th Century took the toothpick to a whole new level. A toothpick was luxury item formed from various expensive stones and a metal. They were often treated as jewelry items. (by this time, the toothbrush was invented) It wasn't until 1869 that a young entrepreneur by the name of Charles Forester decided to monetize the age old creation with the invention of the first toothpick manufacturing machine. (later patented in 1872 by Silas Noble and J.P Cooley).

When America got into the industry, the toothpicks (as we know them) were cut from birch wood. The main producer of the toothpick was a manufacturing plant in Maine which was closed in 2003. Currently there are no factories in the USA that are making toothpicks.

So after a great steak dinner, when you grab that sharp little wooden object to pick the steak strips out of you teeth, remember that your are holding a solid piece of world history in your hands and are using the OLDEST dental cleaning object ever made!