Evolution is amazing.
Slowly over the course of millions of years, through unguided trial and error, humans were able to emerge with the brainpower to shape our environment and create the ancient and modern wonders we enjoy today.
But despite all this progress—why do we still have wisdom teeth? The truth is that while most people need to have them removed these days, they used to be vital to our survival. Why did they matter, and more importantly, what happened to make them a consistent problem that requires a dentist in Conway to fix? Funnily enough, finding the answer requires you to go back to the days of cavemen…
Wisdom Teeth: The Origin Story
If you go ALL the way back to the time that modern-day humans first emerged, it would be extremely rare for you to eat cooked food, as the only available technology was literally fire (which wasn’t always feasible). So, people mostly subsisted on raw meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds.
This kind of diet requires a lot of chewing and is very hard on the teeth, wearing them down rather quickly. Scientists theorize that the main chewing teeth in the back (the molars) tended to wear down and break by the time someone was in their late teens or early 20s, and the wisdom teeth were essentially replacements.
Skipping Ahead a Few Thousand Years…
As the millennia went on, cooking became more widely available, meaning people started consistently eating easy-to-chew foods. Because less power was needed, researchers can see in the fossil record that the jaw gradually started to shrink, but the wisdom teeth remained.
This is why these teeth still come in, but when they do, they often become stuck or painfully press on the nearby gums.
A Modern Solution for an Ancient Problem
While evolution is still happening, with more and more people being born without wisdom teeth, the majority still have to contend with them. As you might have guessed, the most straightforward way to deal with wisdom tooth issues is to remove them, as this is simpler than trying to create more room in the mouth.
While understanding the wisdom teeth may answer some of your questions, it doesn’t really help if they’re currently causing you pain. Thankfully, you can do something your ancestors could only dream of—reach out to a dentist and get the expert treatment you need, putting this problem where it belongs—in the past.
About the Author
Dr. Tommy Murph attended the Medical University of South Carolina, earning his Doctor of Dental Medicine, and he has gone on to complete over 600 hours of continuing education to both grow and refine his skills. If you or your teen are starting to struggling with wisdom teeth pain or other issues, he’s ready to help you just like he has countless other patients, so contact us by clicking here or call (843) 488-4357.