Wisdom teeth are so weird cause my body is like, “hey I know you are done growing but would you like some…MORE TEETH???? And I’m like, “hell no, theres no room,” but then my body is still like *slamming fists on table* “more teeth! MORE TEETH! MORE TEETH! MORE TEETH! M O R E T E E T H”
[former dental student voice]
like many things, wisdom teeth are a byproduct of evolution! biology’s natural solution to a problem we have since solved with the advancement of medical technology!!
historically, people lost their second molars quite early due to dental decay! Before the invention of the toothbrush, we were unable to reach far enough back to clean those teeth – and even if we could reach them, the lack of any other oral hygiene was too much to fight off.
so we lost those teeth! They decayed and fell out in early adulthood. And of all the teeth at your disposal, molars are the most important! Without molars we are unable to grind and swallow most of the diet we evolved to ingest.
So the body decided the best thing to do was to give us a third set of molars – ones that came later in life, after we had surely already worn out the second set. This is why they don’t erupt with the rest of our adult dentition.
So now that we have the toothbrush and toothpaste and floss – and now that a significant portion of drinking water (at least in the United States) is fluoridated – dental decay is much, much less frequent, especially in young adults.
So when those wisdom teeth are ready to come in, the average adult no longer has room for them.
( also, we’re starting to evolve past them! my dad only got his lower wisom teeth and my sister had only one!)
and that’s the story of the Seemingly Redundant and Unnecessary Wisdom Tooth, Who Was Really Only Trying to Help
QueerGalaxies 