Sozodont was a popular brand of

oral hygiene Oral hygiene is the practice of keeping one's mouth clean and free of disease and other problems (e.g. bad breath) by regular brushing of the teeth (dental hygiene) and cleaning between the teeth. It is important that oral hygiene be carried out ...

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 New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, it derived its name from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

''sozo'', meaning "to save", and ''dontia'', meaning "

teeth A tooth ( : teeth) is a hard, calcified structure found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates and used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores and omnivores, also use teeth to help with capturing or wounding prey, tear ...

". Sozodont was later manufactured by the firm Hall & Ruckel of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, and

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. 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 a

toothbrush A toothbrush is an oral hygiene tool used to clean the teeth, gums, and tongue. It consists of a head of tightly clustered bristles, atop of which toothpaste can be applied, mounted on a handle which facilitates the cleaning of hard-to-reach are ...

. 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 contained

orris root Orris root (''rhizoma iridis'') is the root of ''Iris germanica'' and ''Iris pallida''. It had the common name of Queen Elizabeth Root. Constituent chemicals The most valued component of orris root is oil of orris (0.1–0.2%), a yellow-whit ...

, carbonate of calcium, and magnesia. The liquid contained

castile soap Castile soap is an olive oil based hard soap made in a style similar to that originating in the Castile region of Spain. History The origins of Castile soap go back to the Levant, where Aleppo soap-makers have made hard soaps based on olive ...

(soap made exclusively from vegetable oil),

glycerin Glycerol (), also called glycerine in British English and glycerin in American English, is a simple triol compound. It is a colorless, odorless, viscous liquid that is sweet-tasting and non-toxic. The glycerol backbone is found in lipids known ...

, sizeable portions of

water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...

and

alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

, and, for flavoring, a small quantity of oil of

peppermint Peppermint (''Mentha'' × ''piperita'') is a hybrid species of mint, a cross between watermint and spearmint. Indigenous to Europe and the Middle East, the plant is now widely spread and cultivated in many regions of the world.Euro+Med Plantbas ...

clover Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus ...

cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, breakfa ...

, and

star anise ''Illicium verum'' is a medium-sized evergreen tree native to northeast Vietnam and southwest China. A spice commonly called star anise, staranise, star anise seed, star aniseed, star of anise, Chinese star anise, or badian that closely resembl ...

, as well as, for coloring,

cochineal The cochineal ( , ; ''Dactylopius coccus'') is a scale insect in the suborder Sternorrhyncha, from which the natural dye carmine is derived. A primarily sessility (motility), sessile parasitism, parasite native to tropical and subtropical Sout ...

(a dye made from an insect of the same name).

Advertising claims

Its manufacturers claimed that Sozodont would clean and preserve the teeth and harden the

gums The gums or gingiva (plural: ''gingivae'') consist of the mucosal tissue that lies over the mandible and maxilla inside the mouth. Gum health and disease can have an effect on general health. Structure The gums are part of the soft tissue linin ...

, as well as "impart a delightfully refreshing taste and feeling to the mouth." In addition, claimed promotional material, "it prevents the accumulation of

tartar Tartar may refer to: Places * Tartar (river), a river in Azerbaijan * Tartar, Switzerland, a village in the Grisons * Tərtər, capital of Tartar District, Azerbaijan * Tartar District, Azerbaijan * Tartar Island, South Shetland Islands, Ant ...

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 A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

chemists A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe th ...

.e., pharmacists">pharmacists.html" ;"title=".e., pharmacists">.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 An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 picometers to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 ...

-raysin his dental practice and find that those habitually using Sozodont have perfect teeth, hard gums, and sweet breath." Sozodont advertisement

Decline in popularity

Sozodont fell out of favor with consumers in the early twentieth century amid concerns about

side effects In medicine, a side effect is an effect, whether therapeutic or adverse, that is secondary to the one intended; although the term is predominantly employed to describe adverse effects, it can also apply to beneficial, but unintended, consequence ...

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 ozodontdestroys the color of the teeth, turning them to a decidedly dark-yellow." At the turn of the 20th century, another dentist echoed this complaint, stating that "The liquid of Sozodont . . . is far too

alkaline In chemistry, an alkali (; from ar, القلوي, al-qaly, lit=ashes of the saltwort) is a base (chemistry), basic, ionic compound, ionic salt (chemistry), salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as ...

for general use, and would in time destroy the enamel of the teeth and make them yellow."

References

{{reflist 1859 introductions Brands of toothpaste Dentifrices Defunct manufacturing companies of the United States