For centuries, Indians have sworn by the humble daatun – a simple twig from trees like neem or babool that doubles up as a toothbrush. Long before modern toothpaste ads told us about “24-hour protection”, our grandparents were chewing on these twigs, which not only cleaned teeth but also kept gums healthy and breath fresh. Eco-friendly, cheap, and free from microplastics, the daatun was basically the OG sustainable toothbrush.
Now, as with turmeric lattes, yoga mats, and copper water bottles, it seems the daatun too has “been discovered” by the West. A white user on social media recently shared a picture of it, expressing surprise that a natural toothbrush had existed all this time
So you are telling me there has been a natural tooth brush with no micro plastics this whole time? pic.twitter.com/FZE3DXPVoM
— Enoch (@brother_enoch_) August 29, 2025
What followed was a very predictable, yet very entertaining, series of Indian reactions. Many Indians rolled their eyes at the déjà vu, pointing out how this has become a weekly social media ritual: an ancient Indian practice goes viral only when someone in the West “stumbles upon” it.
Some joked that while Indians abandoned their heritage in pursuit of fancy plastic toothbrushes, Westerners were now about to market it back to us with sleek branding and higher price tags.
Have a look:
lo & behold, the traditional datun has reached the west https://t.co/Mc24sPxruM
— Hetal (@heyytal) August 31, 2025
Wait till the westernise it with a tag like:
“Herbal Tree Teeth Cleanser by Katie” or some shii
— Naman (@NamanDoesThings) September 1, 2025
This is now a weekly event on twitter. Every ancient Indian practice is “rediscovered” and then appropriated by smort westerners.
— Pratyush (@PratyushP23) August 31, 2025
And they have every right to market it as they like since we Indians never took pride in our products and discoveries!
— ApexKingson (@UTkarshKunwar98) August 31, 2025
Wait until it’s named a “Scandinavian branch for halitus” because a datun being in whites mouth is preposterous!
— Adi-paglu (@Bejeweled_drugs) September 2, 2025
and they will rename it to “vegan tooth twig”
— BTS💜Pooh Luminous (@Pooh_Luminous) September 1, 2025
Now they’ll give it some chodu name like ‘Holistic periodontal therapy wand’ and call it their discovery.
— Rohan Dogra (@rohan__dogra) August 31, 2025
You mean my latest independent research on “Fibrous Oral Cleaning Tool with Antimicrobial Properties”? The FOCT technique…
— Aditya Singh (@onepintshort) September 1, 2025
When they came to India, they made fun of people using daatun, charcoal, clove etc for good and healthy teeth. Now they want people to use their toothpastes with these stuff
— SarKastic (@SarKAstik_me) September 1, 2025
lets wait when they get to know how they can clean their aholes with water instead of paper and can save trees at same time.
— S D (@sunnydeshmukh79) August 31, 2025
At the end of the day, the daatun doesn’t care. It will keep cleaning teeth, freshening breath, and waiting patiently for us to give it the respect it has always deserved.