Sozodont was the creation of a New Jersey dentist, Roswell van Buskirk. The name was derived from the Greek sozo meaning "to save" and dontia, meaning teeth. It actually did just the opposite.
The product made strong use of advertising as a marketing tool and by the late nineteenth century was an established household word. This ad is from a 1905 Theatre magazine and features a lovely lady holding her finger to her tooth a la Mini Me and Dr. Evil. I guess she is just pointing to what are supposed to be sparkling white teeth.
What did Sozodont promise? As was the custom in these early ads more than it could deliver or that was possible on earth.
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 of tarter on the teeth and arrests the progress of decay."
As you can see from the Sarah Bernhardt ad on the right Sozodont became one of the leading toothpastes in the world. However, doom was looming because Sozodont did not actually whiten your teeth. As several dentists wrote continued use of the powder made your teeth yellow and removed the enamel. Yuck.
Can you imagine waking up every morning and thinking darn I have to use more Sozodont because my teeth are just not getting white enough.
And of course the ads:
No comments:
Post a Comment