Dental Care in the 19th Century (Regency Era)

In the Regency era, dental care was much different than it is today. People knew they were supposed to care for their teeth but didn’t have the resources we do today. They didn’t have toothpaste or mouthwash; instead, they relied on some home remedies to keep them clean and healthy.

Was Dental Care Common in the 19th Century?

As the 19th century progressed, dental care was becoming more common. Dentists were still not very common, but toothpaste had started to become more popular and available by the end of the century. Doctors took care of problems with the mouth if there was a problem, but most people did not go to their dentist until they needed one. Do you want to read a romance novel about a Regency-era doctor? Then you will love the gentry love story An Agreeable Alliance by Kasey Stockton. You can read the first few chapters for free!

What were people instructed to avoid to protect their teeth?

In common ladies’ magazines and literature, women were instructed on how to care for their teeth. This included things they should avoid to keep their teeth and mouth healthy.

• Avoid cracking your teeth on hard substances like walnuts.
• Avoid carrying heavy things with their teeth for amusement.
• Avoid using their teeth to cut threads or silks when sewing.
• Avoid eating cold things too often, like ices or sherbert.
• Drink tea hot but eat it cold (soak the toast in tea and then eat it) so that you don’t down your enamel on one side of your mouth only by drinking too hot liquids all the time, and also this prevents yellowing of the teeth caused by drinking very hot drinks all day long!

Suppose you want to see a snipping from a Regency-era publication. In that case, you can check out this one from The Lady’s Toilette Containing a Critical Examination of the Nature of Beauty and of the Causes by which it is Impaired, published in 1808.

Did People Know About Tartar Build-Up in the 19TH Century?

In the 19th century, dental care was not as advanced as it is today. Dentists were not widely established, so people had to rely on their knowledge and home remedies to clean their teeth. In fact, the first dental manufacturing service was not formally established in England until 1820, the end of the regency era.

You can still find evidence of people knowing about tartar build-up in old family dentistry books that have been passed down through families for generations!

While many other people did not know about tartar buildup back then (and there weren’t dentists around), most knew that keeping your teeth clean was important for health reasons.

Was there toothpaste in the 19th century?

Toothpaste was not available in the Regency Era. The earliest known toothpaste recipe was published in 1824 by Dr. Washington Sheffield, but this wasn’t mass-produced until around 1870, when Colgate began producing it. Toothbrushes were even rarer: records show that a dentist in London invented the first toothbrush in 1780, but these did not become common among people of means until after the Victorian era had ended (around 1850).

Home Remedies for Tooth Care in the Regency Era

Tooth powder was a very common home remedy for tooth care during the Regency era. Various recipes could be found in cookbooks, but most involved ingredients such as powdered chalk or coral dust, which served to whiten the teeth. Other basic ingredients used were salt and ginger, both of which are abrasive and can naturally cleanse your mouth of bacteria. The recipe below is only one example:

• 3 parts powdered chalk
• 2 parts of ground white ox bones (or ivory)
• 1 part pulverized pumice stone

Mix these together thoroughly and store in an airtight container until ready to use. Add about a teaspoonful of this powder over your toothbrush after brushing with water before bed each night for the best effect!

Dental Care in the Regency Era

There were many ways to care for your teeth in the 19th century. While some of these methods are still used today, others have fallen out of favor. There were also some things you could do at home if you didn’t access to an apothecary or dentist nearby—for example, using charcoal powder on a brush instead of toothpaste! It is important that we understand what life was like for those living during this time period to better appreciate how far society has come since then. You can check out more medical phenomenons from the regency era with this article on the prevalence of obesity.

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