Wisdom Teeth

[tbailey]

Originally Posted by Toc De Mac

Thanks for the suggestions, though I tend to stray from pharmaceutical treatments!

From what I've heard, it wasn't uncommon for our ancestors to lose a permanent tooth (specifically molars) every once in a while due to the much harsher diet they followed. Thus, kind of like the rows of teeth sharks have, wisdom teeth would drift forward and replace the lost tooth.

Though I'm no expert, so this could just be an urban myth.

oh - well maybe just ask for a couple pills from your dentist if the pain persists

i don't think i used more than a couple

as for your answer - yup that's what i've heard too although i'm not an expert either

Originally Posted by Deepwaters

That's one of the theories Toc de Mac, the other I've heard is that our pre-human ancestors (H. erectus) who invented the use of fire, evolved eating raw foods and so had larger jaws and more and bigger teeth. Over time after the invention of fire, these powerful chompers were lost in favor of a more mobile mouth better at speech, and wisdom teeth are a vestigial remnant of our evolutionary past.

hmm...never heard about this one

but seems to make some sense although wouldn't you think that if we evolved less powerful chompers we would have also evolved out of existence of wisdom teeth concurrently? But i'm not an expert so you could be right and i could be wrong

how about this question if you guys want to continue these type of evolutionary type questions:

why do we have goosebumps? what's the purpose?