The ancient Chinese made toothbrushes with the bristles from the necks of cold climate pigs. The French were the first in Europe to promote toothbrushes in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The first mass-produced toothbrushes were created by William Addis of England. H.N. Wadsworth was the first in the U.S. to patent the toothbrush. After it was patented, many American companies began to mass-produce the toothbrush by 1885. In 1938, the first nylon bristled toothbrush was produced by DuPont.
It wasn’t until after World War II that toothbrushes became popularly used in the States, though. Soldiers returning from war brought back the enforced habit of brushing their teeth. It began to spread throughout the country and became normal. Then in 1939 the first electric toothbrush was invented in Switzerland and it wasn’t until 1960 that one was made in the U.S. by Squibb and called the Broxodent.