Did the Tudors Brush Their Teeth?

Did the Tudors brush their teeth?

During the Tudor period, hygiene was not only a matter of personal appearance, it was also an important aspect of health and medicine. During this time, diseases were thought to be spread by germs and smells, so it was essential to keep clean.

It was therefore crucial that people were hygienic, and this meant using soap on a regular basis to ensure that they were healthy. Soap was used by all levels of society, and it was usually sweet-smelling to help sooth any ailments that someone might have.

Richer people were more likely to have scented soap than poorer people as they could afford it, but even the lower classes would have had soap available to them. They might not have had as much luxury as the upper class but they still bathed in soap as often as possible.

They also drank plenty of water as it was considered important to drink enough liquids in order to keep healthy. They drank from mugs and cups, not bottles, and drank from a large bowl of water before every meal.

Wealthy people often had their own jars of toothpaste that they used to clean their teeth before bedtime. They used this to get rid of any stains that might have been left after eating, and it was also a good way to maintain white teeth for the next day.

Those that did not have the money to buy their own toothpaste were still able to get some for free by visiting the barber surgeons or dentists. These dentists were able to remove any toothache that might have been caused by something, such as a cut or an accident.

Some people did not have the money to visit the dentist and so had to resort to pulling out their teeth. This was a very painful experience, and it could be quite embarrassing, but it was often necessary to save the person’s dignity.

They were very concerned about their health, and this is because they believed that illnesses came from phlegm, blood and bile in the body. They had no idea what was causing these things to go wrong, but they knew that if they cleaned their bodies and their hands regularly, they were less likely to catch a disease.

It was also very important to clean their bodies before they went to bed at night. This was because it was believed that a sick person’s body was not capable of sleeping properly, and so they were more likely to have a nightmare.

This is why the doctors of the Tudor era were so keen to have their patients wash themselves, and they made sure that they were hydrated. They were very keen on a person’s urine because they were able to tell whether the person was ill by how well their urine matched their colour, smell and taste.

They were also very keen on having their teeth polished with a sugar paste, or ‘tooth polish’. It was very popular amongst the higher echelons of Tudor society and it was not cheap to buy.