Tooth powder has been an indispensable means of oral hygiene in the USSR for more than three quarters of a century. Residents of the USSR used only powder for brushing their teeth for many years.

The era of tooth powder lasted until the Great Patriotic War, until the USSR thought of “diluting” it to the consistency of paste. It happened in 1950, the first toothpastes began to appear, but they were quite rare in stores. For them, as for any Soviet deficit, we had to stand in line. In this regard, tooth powder continued to “dominate” in stores, which mastered areas far from its direct purpose.

The Moscow TEGE Association produced tooth powder, then the Svoboda factory.

The main component of tooth powder is ordinary soda. Thanks to her, powders in the USSR cleaned the enamel of teeth so well. In addition, many powders were peppermint-flavored, to give freshness to the breath. In addition, the composition contained calcium (an important element for maintaining enamel in a strong state) in the form of chalk and small particles of chicken egg shell. Even in Soviet tooth powders there was starch, it also helped to improve oral hygiene. Of course, there is no equal powder in removing plaque, but it also has a drawback — increased erasability of enamel with daily use.