Washington Sheffield American dental surgeon and inventor Date of Birth: 23.04.1827 Country: USA

1. Background and Early Life
2. Dental Education and Practice
3. Marriage and Family
4. Inspiration for Toothpaste in a Tube
5. Development of Toothpaste
6. Early Production and Marketing
7. Sheffield's Crême Angelique Dentifrice
8. First Advertisement and Refinements
9. Collapsible Tube Manufacturing
10. Dental Innovations
11. International Tooth Crown Company
12. Legacy

Background and Early Life

Washington Wentworth Sheffield, born April 23, 1827, in North Stonington, Connecticut, was one of eight children born to Reverend John Sheffield and Eliza Lewis Sheffield. In 1850, he began his apprenticeship with Dr. J. Comstock in New London, Connecticut, following the customary education path of the 18th and early 19th centuries.

Dental Education and Practice

Sheffield continued his dental education in New York City, training under Dr. Charles Allen and Dr. D. Potter. He established his long and successful practice in dentistry and dental surgery in New London, Connecticut, in April 1852, becoming one of the most esteemed practitioners in the United States. In 1856, he graduated from the Ohio College of Dental Surgery, the first dental school in the country.

Marriage and Family

Sheffield married Harriet P. Brown, daughter of Richard and Julia Brown of Providence, Rhode Island. They had one son, Lucius T. Sheffield, born on May 28, 1854. Lucius followed in his father's footsteps, becoming a dentist and dental surgeon. He studied at Harvard Medical School and graduated from Harvard's American Academy of Dental Medicine in 1878.

Inspiration for Toothpaste in a Tube

During Lucius's time in Paris from 1878 to 1879, he observed artists squeezing paint from tin tubes for their color palettes. This inspired him to envision his father's toothpaste in similar tubes, which would allow for convenient application to a toothbrush.

Development of Toothpaste

Sheffield had formulated a mouthwash early in his dental practice and used it successfully on his patients for many years. In 1880, he and his son founded the Sheffield Dentifrice Co., where they refined the mouthwash formula and marketed it as Sheffield's Elixir Balm. In the mid-1870s, Sheffield created a "prepared chalk cream" that gained popularity among his clients, to which he later added various mint extracts for flavor. His patients immediately clamored for samples of his new invention.

Early Production and Marketing

Sheffield shared the toothpaste formula with Lucius, who was then studying at Harvard. The oldest record of the toothpaste formula is preserved in the archives of Sheffield Pharmaceuticals, the successor to Sheffield Dentifrice Co., in Lucius's notebook from 1878. In response to demand, Sheffield initiated small-scale toothpaste production in early 1880, initially creating batches in his own dental office. As orders increased, he was compelled to construct a laboratory and manufacturing facility.

Sheffield's Crême Angelique Dentifrice

In addition to the mouthwash, the Sheffield Dentifrice Co. introduced a novel product called Dr. Sheffield's Crême Angelique Dentifrice, a flavored dental cream marketed in collapsible tubes. Lucius, a Doctor of Dental Surgery, registered his father's trademark in 1881.

First Advertisement and Refinements

The first published advertisement for toothpaste appeared on May 12, 1881, in the New London Telegram newspaper. In 1883, Sheffield revised the original Crême Angelique formula, and the enhanced product, Dr. Sheffield's Crême Dentifrice, was marketed for many years after Washington's death in 1897. After 1900, Sheffield Dentifrice Co. continued to produce the paste, with contractual arrangements with various companies and individuals.

Collapsible Tube Manufacturing

From 1880 to 1892, Sheffield Dentifrice Co. purchased toothpaste tubes from outside suppliers, but they eventually acquired the machinery to create their own. In 1900, Sheffield Dentifrice Co. established the New England Collapsible Tube Co., which became the fourth largest producer of collapsible tubes in the United States.

Dental Innovations

Beyond toothpaste, Sheffield also specialized in dental bridges and crowns. On May 26, 1885, he was granted a patent (No. 318,581) for a dental bridge with multiple crowns for broken or severely decayed teeth. Around the same time, Lucius was awarded eight patents for various types of artificial tooth replacements.

International Tooth Crown Company

In 1886, Washington and Lucius founded the International Tooth Crown Company, with Lucius serving as president and his father as treasurer. The company acquired the crown patents held by two prominent dentists, Dr. James Lowe and Dr. Cassius M. Richmond.

Legacy

Washington Wentworth Sheffield passed away on November 4, 1897. His son, Lucius, died on September 20, 1901. In 1896, Colgate & Company launched their own toothpaste, similar in composition to Sheffield's invention and packaged in collapsible tubes like Sheffield's. Sheffield's contributions to dental health and the development of modern toothpaste have left a lasting legacy in the field of dentistry.