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History's Worst Toothpaste Ingredient?

Photograph of the Colosseum in Rome

The ancient Romans took their dental care seriously, although there ingredients were better suited to a witch's brew.


Among the ingredients in early medicinal toothpastes were crushed bones, oyster shells, and occasionally, mouse brains. 


Writers like Pliny the Elder and Scribonius Largus recorded treatments that involved applying mashed mouse brains to relieve toothaches or gum inflammation. 


Roman physicians believed certain animal parts had healing properties, and brains were thought to help soften or soothe the body. These concoctions weren’t for daily use, but for treating toothaches and gum pain. 


A winning smile, perhaps...but not for the mouse.

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