Toothpaste of the Ancient Romans: Disgusting Details of Oral Hygiene History

The serious attitude of the inhabitants of Ancient Rome to hygiene is no secret to anyone. The ruins of grandiose baths, in which citizens of the Roman Empire spent a lot of time, have survived to this day. They approached such an ordinary task as brushing their teeth no less responsibly. The Romans used devices similar to modern toothbrushes or wooden sticks. But their toothpaste is completely different from ours. Moreover, few of us would dare to touch it even with rubber gloves.

The Romans suffered from dental diseases just like us. Tooth decay and bad breath were one of the most common problems. And although ancient medicine was at a fairly high level, damaged teeth were not treated. Usually they were simply pulled out when the pain began to cause serious discomfort.

It's no wonder that people tried to take care of their oral cavity in order to maintain a beautiful smile. Documents that describe the composition and technology of preparing toothpastes have survived to this day. Special masters were engaged in this matter. This work was considered responsible and, according to historians, was passed down by inheritance.

The basis of any toothpaste in Ancient Rome was powdered coal. It was obtained by burning a variety of materials: wood, animal bones, mollusk shells. This component had good abrasive properties and cleaned teeth perfectly.

The ancient toothpaste also contained other, less pleasant ingredients. These include mouse brain and human urine. The purpose of the rodent brain is difficult to explain today, but with urine everything is clear. It contains ammonia, which has excellent bleaching properties. The Romans also used human urine to make soap. Other ingredients, often secret ones, were also added to toothpaste. These could be herbs, vegetable oils and minerals.

The master carefully crushed all the components of the paste, achieving its homogeneity. After this, a binder was added to the mixture to provide the product with the required consistency. Most often, Roman craftsmen used honey. The resulting mixture could be used not only for brushing teeth. It was also used to keep breath fresh. The absence of bad breath was considered an important part of the Romans' image.

It's hard to say how pleasant it was to use this toothpaste. But the fact remains that during excavations in Pompeii, archaeologists noticed that only 30 percent of the skeletons were missing teeth or had serious caries lesions. Perhaps the disgusting paste of mouse brains, coal and urine was effective after all.