7 curiosities about wisdom tooth

It is not always necessary, but many people have gone through the ordeal of removing their wisdom teeth. Their location does not help in the process, not to mention the fact that they are almost always born in unusual positions, often staying below the gum. But why does it still exist? Meet 7 trivia about the third molar (or wisdom tooth).

1. They have been useless for a long time.

When our ancestors were hunter-gatherers a long time ago, our third molars were very useful as we needed to chew hard foods like raw meat, roots and leaves. Time passed, we dominated the fire and were able to process our food, making it softer, more palatable and lessening the need for great chewing power.

In addition, according to Princeton University researcher Alan Mann, the brain of humans began to grow rapidly 200, 000 years ago, changing the shape of the skull and impairing the positioning of teeth. Prior to this process, the brain was three times smaller than it is today, and that is the main cause of our present problems with our judgment teeth. The exchange seems to have been fair.

2. Time solves

On the bright side, scientists say that the evolution of our bodies tends to eliminate the wisdom tooth, but the problem is how long it will take. "On the evolutionary scale, if I had to predict the way, I'd say that probably a few centuries from now wisdom teeth will be one of the things humans probably won't have anymore, " says Dr. William McCormick, assistant professor of clinical medicine at West Virginia University.

3. The number of teeth varies between people ...

Just as you can have all four wisdom teeth, so there may not be any of them. What determines this amount are genetic factors such as jaw size or ancestry. For example, virtually no Tasmanian Aborigines have wisdom teeth, but almost all Mexican Indians have at least. Europeans have a greater tendency to have the third molar, a fact explained by the little genetic variation that occurs on the continent.

4. ... as well as the number of roots

The roots of the tooth are formed first so that the visible part later appears and develops. Third molars usually have two to three roots, but this number is not a rule. McCormick says that in the 1970s, he removed his wife's wisdom teeth and was impressed by what he saw because they had incredible five roots. "It looked like a spider, and it wasn't a nice extraction."

For this reason, it is recommended that extraction be done as early as possible, as the roots are not yet fully consolidated. Dr. Ron Good, an orthodontist in southwest Pennsylvania, made an analogy of the situation, explaining that "when the roots are fully formed, they are anchored like a tree that has been in your backyard for 100 years."

5. They can be born at any time.

According to the records of the Guinness Book of Records, there was one person who had his wisdom tooth coming out at age 94. The problem is not up to date, as even Aristotle in his book "History of the Animals" mentions that "there are known cases of women over 80 years of age where, at the end of life, wisdom teeth arose, causing great pain; and cases of the phenomenon have also been known in men. "

6. The first record of wisdom problems dates back 15, 000 years.

When there is not enough room for them to be born, they end up pushing the other teeth, causing much discomfort. The oldest recorded case of this situation occurred 15, 000 years ago, identified in the skeleton of a woman about 30 years old found in France. This finding ends with the theory that problems began with the change in our diet.

7. When to remove them?

There is a lot of debate in the scientific community about the removal of third molars if they do not present problems for the rest of the dental arch. In the US, the practice is common, as most dentists believe that the presence of teeth acts as a ticking time bomb. Dr. Bob of Good Orthodontics says, "Wisdom teeth are usually worthless and just potential problems." Keeping them in your mouth could cause a number of other inconveniences, such as pressing on your other teeth and impairing cleaning, increasing the risk of tooth decay.

On the other side are UK dentists, who since 1998 have not recommended prophylactic extraction of wisdom teeth because there are no studies to support the practice. Even in the US, some professionals estimate that only 12% of people would have any future teeth-related problems, and that number would not be sufficient to subject people to the surgical procedure required for extraction.

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