Bad breath carries a stigma that transcends time. What is known about today from the causes of bad breath might be more than eating a sandwich loaded with a bad combination of food. Bad breath is linked to bacteria and persistent bad breath can even mean a person may have gum or periodontal disease. To fight bad breath, there have been several approaches inventions that have led to today’s most popular bad breath-fighting products and procedures on the market. Read on to learn how bad breath became big business.
A Historical Approach to Resolving Bad Breath
Finding a “cure” to bad breath has been an issue that has been in practice for over a millennium. Since ancient history, people have been fighting to find a resolution to bad breath. Here are some creative approaches to solving the case of bad breath from years past:
- The ancient Egyptians used pellets made from cinnamon, myrrh and frankincense to sweeten their breath and used a substance from mummy embalming called natron to create toothpaste.
- In the early 400s to late 300s B.C., one of the first forms of mouth rinse came at the suggestion of ancient Greek philosopher, Hippocrates. His recommendations for mouth rinse consisted of mixing vinegar, alum and salt.
- Until the Victorian era, toothpicks made from metals, wood, bone, quills and ivory were used frequently.
- In the 15th and 16th centuries, Europeans used chewed bitter herbs to battle bad breath.
The Rise of the Bad Breath Industry
The rise of the bad breath industry sparked inventions that helped to lead to today’s modern mouthwashes, breath mints and other products used for halting halitosis.
To combat bad breath, manufacturers created products that help kill bacteria. One of the most popular inventions was the modern day mouthwash, LISTERINE. The invention of LISTERINE dates back to 1860. This modern-day mouthwash began as a surgery antiseptic. English doctor Joseph Lister drew inspiration to sterilize his operation rooms from a theory developed by French biologist Louis Pasteur. Pasteur theorized that germs that were invisible to the human eye caused several infections. Lister tested this theory by performing an operation in 1865 in a room that was sterilized using antiseptic that was pulverized in the air.
Dr. Joseph Lister then created LISTERINE mouthwash in 1879. LISTERINE was marketed for wound-bathing and for surgery use. It was then purchased in 1881 by Lambert Pharmaceutical Co. and later introduced in 1914 as an oral germ killing mouthwash and became the first prescription-based product in the United States to sell over the counter. While Listerine was first introduced in 1914, it became widespread in the public by the 1920s when bad breath began to be referred to as “halitosis”, which is a medical term for bad breath. This approach helped to increase sales and sprout the rise of the bad breath industry.
The rise of the bad breath industry continued to extend into modern-day dental care. In the 1950s, Colgate began using chlorophyll in their toothpaste products to fight bad breath. Moreover, between 2000 and 2002, the biopharmaceutical company Pfizer invented breath strips. Those who wanted instant fresh breath without the need to chew gum or swish mouthwash could place these tissue-thin breath strips on their tongues and freshen their breath as the strip melts in their mouth.
Final Thoughts
While there is no permanent cure to bad breath, there is a solution that helps keep bad breath to a minimum: proper and consistent dental care. That means not only brushing teeth, flossing and using mouthwash but keeping up with routine dental checkups, too. The great news is that there are several options to find a dentist with the help of discount dental plans, such as DentalSave. By keeping up with dental care, bad breath can be kept at bay.
