Actually the first "toothpaste" for whitening teeth was invented by Michel de Nostredame, also known as "Nostradamus", in the 16th century.
Apart from his well known "quatrains"and "predictions", he was a quite a remarkable physician.
We have the recipe for his toothpaste... it was make from finely ground snail shells and cuttle fish bone. This was mixed with salt and water, and applied to the teeth with a chewed up stick of willow.
A rather fierce recipe, but it would have worked.