Toothpaste is a thick paste or gel you squeeze onto your toothbrush to clean your teeth. It contains mild abrasives (gentle scrubbing particles), fluoride to strengthen tooth enamel, and flavoring to make brushing more pleasant. When you brush with toothpaste, you remove food particles, fight bacteria that cause cavities, and protect your teeth from decay while freshening your breath.

Before toothpaste was invented, people used all sorts of things to clean their teeth: crushed shells, ground charcoal, even crushed brick. The ancient Egyptians made tooth powder from ox hooves and burnt eggshells. Modern toothpaste as we know it was developed in the 1850s, though it didn't come in squeezable tubes until the 1890s.

The fluoride in toothpaste is especially important because it remineralizes your enamel, essentially helping repair tiny weak spots before they become cavities.