The toothbrush has a long history of innovation beginning with ancient civilizations in China and Egypt who cleaned their teeth with sticks, followed by the introduction of the first nylon bristle toothbrush in 1938 and the advent of electric toothbrushes in the 1950s. The innovative Reach? toothbrush was introduced in the mid?1980s; it differed from previous toothbrushes in three ways: it had an angled head, similar to dental instruments, to reach back teeth; the bristles were concentrated more closely than usual to clean each tooth; and the outer bristles were longer and softer than the inner bristles, to clean between teeth. The California?based company Dr. Fresh acquired the brand in 2012 and has sought to expand the brand through development of innovative oral care products such as Fresh & Clean & soft toothbrushes with tongue freshener; waxed dental floss and dental tape; unflavored dental floss; advanced design toothbrushes and more.