Dental Hygiene

[BeeWac]

What was the standard routine for caring for one’s teeth? What tools and products were used? And how did dental hygiene in Nazi Germany change as the war progressed? If I recall correctly, Roger Moorhouse said that in the early 40s, basically all of Berlin reeked of bad breathe and gum disease.

[Helmut0815]

Daily tooth brushing became mandatory in Germany from the beginnig of the 20th century. Tooth brushes, tooth paste and mouthwash were used.

Products

Toothpaste:
- Blendax (1932 - 2002, presently as blend-a-dent/blend-a-med a brand of Procter & Gamble)
- Chlorodont
- Doramad (1940 - 1945, radioactive, containing Thorium!)
- Dontola
- Nivea
- Rosodont
- Pebeco
- various other brands


Mouthwash:
- Chlorodont
- Odol
- Biox-Ultra
- various other brands


best regards



Helmut

[BeeWac]

Daily tooth brushing became mandatory in Germany from the beginnig of the 20th century. Tooth brushes, tooth paste and mouthwash were used.

Products

Toothpaste:
- Blendax (1932 - 2002, presently as blend-a-dent/blend-a-med a brand of Procter & Gamble)
- Chlorodont
- Doramad (1940 - 1945, radioactive, containing Thorium!)
- Dontola
- Nivea
- Rosodont
- Pebeco
- various other brands


Mouthwash:
- Chlorodont
- Odol
- Biox-Ultra
- various other brands


best regards



Helmut

So people could face legal trouble for poor dental habits? Also, did people floss?

[Helmut0815]

No, I think I used the wrong term. I just wanted to say that dental hygiene was a matter of courśe.
I don't think that dental floss was used in that era.


regards


Helmut

[nammie44]

Regarding dental floss:

from Wikipedia:

Levi Spear Parmly, a dentist from New Orleans, is credited with inventing the first form of dental floss.[4] In 1819, he recommended running a waxen silk thread "through the interstices of the teeth, between their necks and the arches of the gum, to dislodge that irritating matter which no brush can remove and which is the real source of disease."[5][6] He considered this the most important part of oral care.[4] Floss was not commercially available until 1882, when the Codman and Shurtleft company started producing unwaxed silk floss.[7] In 1898, the Johnson & Johnson Corporation received the first patent for dental floss that was made from the same silk material used by doctors for silk stitches.[7]

[Alexander Nasman]

Cosmetics disappeared by the autumn of 1941, claimed journalist Howard K.Smith, and tooth
powder was simply chalk and water with a weak peppermint flavour.

[BeeWac]

Regarding dental floss:

from Wikipedia:

Levi Spear Parmly, a dentist from New Orleans, is credited with inventing the first form of dental floss.[4] In 1819, he recommended running a waxen silk thread "through the interstices of the teeth, between their necks and the arches of the gum, to dislodge that irritating matter which no brush can remove and which is the real source of disease."[5][6] He considered this the most important part of oral care.[4] Floss was not commercially available until 1882, when the Codman and Shurtleft company started producing unwaxed silk floss.[7] In 1898, the Johnson & Johnson Corporation received the first patent for dental floss that was made from the same silk material used by doctors for silk stitches.[7]

After neglecting to floss for a just a few days, my breathe turns horrendous. After a week or so, my mouth becomes filled with sores and lesions. It’s crazy to me that, until not that long ago, hardly anyone flossed, ever.