Was kissing less prevalent before teeth brushing was invented?

Tooth cleaning implements have been around a long time, there are a lot of knowledge on teeth cleaning from BCE. Romans had relatively little tooth decay, mostly because the use of sugar was not prevalent.

And kissing was also common, and oft discussed., as found in the literature.

I’ll have to agree that it’s what passes for “food” these days that makes peoples mouths wretched.

Teethbrushing has been around for a few thousand years.

Other primates kiss. Bonobos, sometimes called pygmy chimps, use sex for every…conceivable…social purpose—to strengthen bonds, to patch relationships after conflict, as greeting, etc. They’re rather promiscuous and pan-sexual. They kiss, like (some) humans do, with their tongues. Common chimpanzees aren’t like that, but the males do touch lips to patch up after conflict.

I’m not sure whether bonobos brush their teeth. But if they do, it’s with a stick. Something tells me it wouldn’t help much with their breath.

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150714-why-do-we-kiss

On the other hand, having been around humans, dogs, and cats all my life, I’ve noticed that a lot of reflexive behavior goes on after eating, to get the food out of the teeth, off the face, etc. If there were any rottenness going on, it would indicate a serious problem, and I’m guessing it would diminish one’s chances at being kissed.

Personal experience with a few partners over the years suggests that we all have a sort of baseline smell/taste, which can be overpowered by a recent meal, or by morning breath (or, in fact, brushing your teeth), but only temporarily.

Peace and luck