Why do we have wisdom teeth?

I was at the dentist this morning and the subject of wisdom teeth came up. Didn't have a chance to ask anyone at the dentist's office, but I've always wondered why we have wisdom teeth. Seems like they exist just to give those in dentistry more work, as we usually have them pulled at some point.

 

Probably residual from a much harsher diet that required a third set of molars.....Evolution will eliminate them eventually.

 

Yup, has to do with our former caveman diet that required more jaw/biting strength.

I am properly synched with evolution; on my left side, the wisdom teeth won't grow out. However in my bottom jaw on the right side, that stupid, sub-human tooth was growing in an unoroper direction. A few years ago I had to have it cut(!) out. An absolutely terrible experience that I wouldn't even wish my worst enemy.

 

It's a conspiracy...Dentists put 'wisdom teeth seeds' in your gums when you get your teeth cleaned so they can make $$$$ pulling them later...

 

Yeah....I tried gargling with round-up.....not recommended.

 

They couldn't get my bottom ones out so they smashed them with a hammer and chisel and took them out in pieces. I kid you not. The oral surgeon was kind enough to ask my permission before he pulled out the hammer. I told him to go for it if it would speed up the affair as I was ready for it to be over an hour before that.

 

I went through the same thing when I was MUCH younger. I looked like a chipmunk for a while. Good luck.

 

Not me. I was fully expecting it but I had virtually no swelling afterwards. I went out that evening and everybody was surprised that I had them taken out that day and wasn't chipmunky. My mouth was only sore on the inside a few days. My bottom wisdom teeth were a huge pain to me any way. They were properly positioned but added a lot of pressure and pushed way back into the soft tissue. My jaws felt much more relaxed for lack of a better term as soon as they came out. Apparently folks in my family have larger molars than most people.

 

People in western cultures have softer diets.

 

What does that have to do with anything; even if it were true?

 

I was musing over this question and did a little digging. I'm not making any claims but noticed some interesting information.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/25/u...olution-milestone-laid-to-gene-flaw.html?_r=0

Our nearest relatives, chipanzees and baboons, have three sets of molar. We have two plus one.

So it seems possible at least that this gene mutation not only led to the transient nature of our wisdom teeth, it might also be what made us diverge and develop beyond the ape.

 

Likely dietary changes made a third molar unimportant....fire and agriculture meant less chewing.

 

To be more specific, some specific mutation did not die out because there was no significant statistical advantage of having a third set of molars; due to dietary changes.

 

The same reason you have an appendix, evolution.

 

Good grief! You serious? In my early 30's my dentist sent me to a specialist and I had 5 wisdom teeth, one on top of the other on upper right hand side and a cyst in my jaw. He said he wouldn't even attempt to remove all, including cyst in jaw in his office, so he put me in the hospital, knocked me out and came to....all was good. No pain involved. My hubby came in, flinched when he saw me and said he wasn't taking me out in public at all, then handed me a mirror. My jaw was black and blue. Lol! Looked like he hauled off and slugged me good. He kept his word. He was not going to look like a wife beater and couldn't blame him.

 

You're all wrong. It was the intelligent designer's idea, just like the rest of the crap he saddled us with.

 

Yep. I was lucky. Most people I know have mucho problems after wisdom teeth. Not me. I guess my mouth is big enough to take it

 

What is a mystery is why are they called wisdom teeth? Must have been someone's joke.

 

I doubt it, as that doesn't come into play in natural selection.... no one says, I am not dating that person cause he had to have his wisdom teeth removed

 

Ah....sure. No one wants to date a man with useless intestines either.....we should all get our appendix removed.

 

Thank god for anaesthetics!

 

Word. I think the dentist popped a few himself when it was over to calm his nerves. I thought the old guy was going to have a stroke. He kept saying he jinxed himself by telling the assistant that mine should be easy to get out. Personally, I think his age was a bigger factor than my water buffalo wisdom teeth. He retired less than a year later. I am not sure he had the strength in his hands any more to be doing it.

 

It's a cultural thing that people are losing wisdom teeth, not an evolution thing.

 

Wisdom teeth often become impacted. It is a medical thing, not a cultural thing.

 

Wisdom teeth are indeed an evolutionary leftover.