Hi new here cant help wondering, though I do not know how far back tooth brushes and floss go, but there is a way to help with keeping your teeth is that when you have a minor problem you get at it quickly and I have some experience here, is that you use salt in high concentration to gargle and rinse as often as possable that will prevent the beginning of painful swollen gums from becomming a big problem. As for chewing on sticks that is probably where tooth picks started from. Oh and swisshing high quality alcohol helps too.Like good scotch?