What did people do to keep their teeth clean in the Colonial era?
The first brushes were made out of animal hair. Splintered wood from soft trees was also used. Herbs were used to prepare herbal tooth brushes Dataun (Daton)around India. So was charcoal.Sand in other areas. It just depended on where they lived and what materials were available. Salt and sand were probably the first substances used for cleaning and mint leaves, parsley, cloves and other such herbs added flavor. Egyptians and Indus valley people have been known to be very advanced and tried many things. Answer originally posted in response to What did people do to keep their teeth clean in the Colonial era?