Since 3000 B.C. proofs are available that ancient Egyptians were using crude toothbrushes made out from twigs and leaves to clean their teeth like other contemporary cultures such as the Greeks, Romans, and Indians cleaned their teeth with twigs. Till 15th century the Chinese were able to design a more sophisticated toothbrush with a brush attached to a handle with the help of bamboo and natural hair bristles. Nearly a hundred years later the English nobility started using toothbrushes made out of silver. Soon the modern shape of the toothbrush was invented and that model was made using the bone handle and tufts of natural hair bristles glued to it. After the invention of nylon the there was a revolution in the toothbrush manufacturing technology and the first commercial toothbrush was developed and launched in the market by the Oral-B. Within a decade, Oral-B was mass producing the soft-bristled toothbrushes. Till the late 1970s, the toothbrush industry started to dish out a variety of new designs and styles in the manual toothbrush range to provide the better clean ability. This included variations in bristle shape, size, and texture, as well as handle styling too.

Up to the year 1990, numerous shapes and styles of toothbrushes were available in the market for the customers to make a choice from each of them claiming their superiority over other brands. Consumers got the facility to choose from toothbrushes with soft, medium or hard bristles, with natural or synthetic bristles, and in a variety of sizes, colors, and configurations. An angled handle was first introduced in the market by the Johnson and Johnson which made brushing back teeth a lot easier. A later variation included bristles in a zigzag fashion. Soon the Colgate also followed the suit by offering an angled brush. One specific model was designed to reach the plaque trapped between teeth and facilitate its easy cleaning. In the meanwhile the Oral B indicator toothbrush was launched. This toothbrush was able to signal the user to buy a new brush. The tips of the bristles were coated with a blue dye that would fade to white after about four months of use.

The Oral-B introduced a Plaque Remover toothbrush that featured taller, contoured bristles claimed to massage the gums. Other company launched the toothbrush with a flexible angled handle intended to reduce the pressure put on gums and teeth. Another toothbrush featured a non-disposable handle with a replaceable bristle head. By this time some of the uniquely shaped brushes launched by various companies the popular shapes included the Radius, which featured a wide handle designed for an easier grip and a large, shoe-brush shaped head packed with bristles. Another model featured bristles which were curved inward so that they would hug the teeth, allowing the user to brush the front and back of the teeth at the same time. As the time is passing by more and more shapes and styles of the manual toothbrushes are finding its way to the market with unique claims.