- Sozodont
Sozodont was a popular brand of
oral hygiene product from the mid-nineteenth century to the early twentieth century.Created in 1859 by druggist Roswell van Buskirk (circa 1824-1902) of
New Jersey , [Roswell Van Buskirk obituary, "American Druggist and Pharmaceutical Record" (1902).] , its name hails from the Greek "sozo", meaning "to save", and "dontia", meaning "teeth ". Sozodont was later manufactured by the firm Hall & Ruckel of New York,New York , andLondon ,England . Known as Van Buskirk's Fragrant Sozodont, or Van Buskirk's Fragrant and Antiseptic Sozodont, the product was dispensed from a glass bottle through a metal sprinkler and, as illustrated advertisements show, could be applied to the teeth using atoothbrush . The product made strong use of advertising as a marketing tool and by the late nineteenth century was an established household word.Ingredients
According to an 1889 issue of the journal "
American Druggist ", Sozodont was made from a liquid and powder mixture. The powder containedorris root , carbonate of calcium, andmagnesia . The liquid containedcastile soap (soap made exclusively from vegetable oil),glycerin , sizeable portions ofwater andalcohol , and, for flavoring, a small quantity of oil ofpeppermint ,clover ,cinnamon , andstar anise , as well as, for coloring,cochineal (a dye made from an insect of the same name). [cite web
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=jdIAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA138&dq=sozodont+alcohol
title = Questions & Answers: Sozodont,
accessdate = 2007-07-17
date = July 1889
work = American Druggist]Advertising claims
Its manufacturers claimed that Sozodont would clean and preserve the teeth and harden the
gums , as well as "impart a delightfully refreshing taste and feeling to the mouth." In addition, claimed promotional material, "it prevents the accumulation oftartar on the teeth and arrests the progress of decay."Furthermore, cartons of the product maintained that, in addition to the above, Sozodont was "Recommended by many of the most prominent
physicians , chemists [i.e.,pharmacists ] ,dentists , and scientific gentlemen of all sections of the country."Only a year after the discovery of X-rays in 1895, Sozodont used the scientific breakthrough to bolster its sales, noting in an advertisement, “Dr. Van Buskirk applies the Röntgen rays [X-rays] in his dental practice and find that those habitually using Sozodont have perfect teeth, hard gums, and sweet breath." [cite book | author=Kate Flint | title="The Victorians and the Visual Imagination" | publisher=Cambridge University | year=2000 | page=31]
Decline in popularity
Sozodont fell out of favor with
consumers in the early twentieth century amid concerns about side effects of its usage. As early as 1880, however, one dentist complained, "I will testify to what is so well known to most dentists, viz., that it [Sozodont] destroys the color of the teeth, turning them to a decidedly dark-yellow." [cite web
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=giACAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA174&dq=sozodont+yellow
title = Journalistic
accessdate = 2007-07-17
date = 1880
work = The Missouri Dental Journal] At the turn of the 20th century, another dentist echoed this complaint, stating that "The liquid of Sozodont . . . is far tooalkaline for general use, and would in time destroy the enamel of the teeth and make them yellow." [cite web
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=giACAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA174&dq=sozodont+yellow
title = Dentifrices Discussion
accessdate = 2007-07-17
date = 1900
work = The Dental Cosmos]References
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