There are higher requirements for oral teeth cleaning, bodybuilding, diseases and health care. For example, in The Book of Songs Feng Wei Shuo Ren, a beautiful woman's teeth are described as "like rhinoceros", which means that her teeth should be as neat and white as a gourd. On the contrary, teeth with irregular teeth are called quarrels, teeth with irregular occlusion are called filth, and teeth with irregular arrangement are called caries, all of which are regarded as pathological. In order to maintain oral hygiene and prevent dental diseases, rulers not only emphasize gargling after meals, but also have the habit of removing food residues between teeth. 1976, Gao Rong's tomb was excavated in Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province during the Wu Dong period of the Three Kingdoms in the late Han Dynasty. Among them, there is a golden dragon-shaped object, with ear scoops and poplar branches at both ends. Poplar branches are the tails of dragons, with round and sharp ends. Researchers believe that this is an oral cleaning tool used by the tomb owner to remove food residues between his teeth before his death, and this poplar branch is the prototype of today's toothpick (Dacheng Zhou: the branch of Populus davidiana found in the tomb of Gao Rong, Wu Dong, Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, Journal of the Japanese Society of Stomatology 8 (2): 23-24, 198 1).

Three Kingdoms, Jin Dynasty, Southern and Northern Dynasties:

In oral health care, toothpicks were first recorded in the Western Jin Dynasty. In a letter to my brother Lu Ji, Yun wrote, "One-day trip, with Cao Gong's tools and toothpicks, is now a gift to my brother" (Dacheng Zhou: A Brief History of Stomatology Development in China). Journal of Japanese Society of Stomatology History, 8 (3): 1-9, 198 1). Although its manufacturing method is unknown, it can be seen that toothpicks are rare in fashion.

Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties:

Brushing your teeth to keep your mouth clean has gradually become popular at that time. There are two main methods: "wiping teeth with poplar branches" and "wiping teeth with fingers". "Tips for Going to Taiwan" contains "Every time Yang Liuzhi bites his head soft, he wipes his teeth with medicine, which is fragrant and smooth." Finger rubbing can be found in the Dunhuang mural "The Holy Map of Old Du Fork Fighting" in the late Tang Dynasty. As for tooth powder, it is either salt or powder.

Song dynasty:

"Taiping Sheng Hui Square" points out that toothbrush manufacturers will do this sooner or later. There is also a method of applying teeth in Taiping Shenghui Prescription: boiling willow branches, Sophora branches and mulberry branches with water, adding ginger juice, asarum and so on. And I wipe my teeth every time. This is the embryonic form of today's medicinal toothpaste. There was a hair transplant toothbrush in the Song Dynasty. Song, "Health Care": "Brushing your teeth is all ponytails". In Europe, the toothbrush with hair transplant described about 500 years later is the same as that recorded in Zhou Shouzhong.

PS: After the Song Dynasty, according to the data, the oral cleaning methods in China have not been developed, but the old methods have been used. However, the medical treatment of various oral diseases has developed to a certain extent.

Attached to the record of "gargling":

"Rinsing" means washing. It has long been recorded in ancient books, such as The Book of Rites: "It is salty to wash your hands when the chicken crows at first." It shows that the habit of "washing hands" in the morning has been formed in ancient times. The word "wash" here may also include gargling. For the direct record of "gargling", see "On Stages of Evil" written by Chao in Sui Dynasty: "Too much gargling after eating makes people sick and rotten." Here refers to gargling after meals, and some people advocate gargling at night, thinking that gargling at night has a greater effect on protecting teeth. In the Song Dynasty, Zhang Liu had a "medical theory"; "People tend to support their teeth backwards. If you rinse your mouth earlier, you will get rid of the accumulation between your teeth and your teeth will be strong. " Later, more people advocated gargling twice every morning and evening; Maintain oral hygiene.

Before the invention of brushing tools, gargling was widely used in ancient times, with salt water, strong tea and wine as mouthwash. In the Tang Dynasty, Sun Simiao wrote "A Prescription for Urgent Preparation of Thousands of Gold": "Every Dan's mouth is twisted with salt, and warm water contains ..." Yanshou Book records that it is useful to gargle with strong tea. "At the end of the diet, the drum gargles with strong tea, which makes you tired and the spleen and stomach are self-harmonious. The meat is between your teeth and you have to wash it with tea. You can pick it without being picky. " Teeth are hard to hide, so they are getting stronger and stronger. Teeth are stupid and self-defeating. "According to modern pharmacological analysis, tea contains not only vitamins, but also tannins and a small amount of fluorine compounds. Tannin has antibacterial and bactericidal effects. Fluoride does have the effect of preventing dental caries. It shows that it is scientific to advocate gargling with strong tea to prevent dental caries in ancient times. As for gargling with wine, the doctor said, "Liu is over seventy years old and has never been weak." Every time he drinks, he gargles, and even when he is drunk, he never forgets, saying that it can get rid of dental diseases. "These are the rich experiences people have accumulated in life practice. Later, on the basis of gargling, people in China developed the method of brushing teeth.

In addition, relevant scholars believe that China is the first country to use toothbrushes. Because the bone toothbrush handle was found in the tomb of Liao Dynasty, it is the earliest toothbrush in the world, which has been around for more than 1000 years. But the murals in Dunhuang Grottoes show that the ancients used the middle finger of their right hand as a "toothbrush". In the Ming dynasty, some people even advocated brushing their teeth at the same time. It can be seen that the use of toothbrushes was not common at that time.

The changing paintings of the Mogao Grottoes, such as the changes of Lao Ducha in the Tang Dynasty, depict that when the "heretics" finally convert to Buddhism, they often bathe, shave and wipe their teeth. Brushing your teeth is brushing your teeth. The ancient method of brushing teeth is just like painting: first dip some medicine in the forefinger and middle finger of one hand, put it on the teeth, and then brush it with a toothbrush.

Indians are used to brushing their teeth with poplar branches, so poplar branches are also called "wooden teeth". Moreover, in view of the important position of dental health in general health, Indians also presented poplar branches as a sign of "I wish you health". Later, this method was introduced to China, and our people gradually learned this way of brushing their teeth. The ancient medical book "The Secret of Outer Taiwan" said that biting one end with a poplar branch and wiping the teeth with medicine can make the teeth "smooth". In the past, dental wood was said to be one of the daily necessities of monks. At the beginning of the morning and after meals, monks must chew the tooth wood into thin strips to remove the debris between the teeth. It has the functions of toothbrush and toothpick. After washing your teeth, you can go to chant Buddhist scriptures and worship Buddha. There are even ten advantages of chewing poplar branches in the Buddhist sutra Huayan Jing. They are: 1. 2. Eliminate phlegm disease; 3. detoxification; 4. remove tartar; 5. Make your mouth fragrant; 6. Function name; 7. moisten the throat; 8. The lips are not wrinkled; 9. Obtaining acoustic gas; 10. It tastes bad.

Of course, although poplar is a common "dental wood" for cleaning teeth, dental wood is not limited to poplar. People can find suitable tooth cleaning materials according to local conditions. Sophora branches, peach branches and kudzu vine all have the same bitter, astringent, spicy and pungent taste as poplar branches, so they can also become tooth trees.

In the era without toothpaste, people can not only find materials to clean their teeth, but also use the method of "chewing" to clean their teeth, which seems more convenient and practical than "brushing their teeth". So, what is the effect of chewing tender branches to clean teeth? Both ancient and modern times think that it has a good effect. Li Shizhen also said that it is wonderful to use tender willow branches to "cut them into tooth branches".