Let us start with why “wisdom teeth” are around and what they are really called. A “wisdom tooth’s proper name is a “third molar.” In each of our upper and lower sides of our jaws we have three molars. The “first molar” comes in at around 6 years of age and is usually the biggest tooth surface area-wise that we have. Six years later we usually get our “second molars” right behind the first ones and then about six years later we get our “third molars” or “wisdom teeth” if we have enough space. Molars, due to their size and shape are primarily used for chewing. When we speak or describe molars, most people associate them with looking like “cow’s teeth.
If we don’t really need these “wisdom teeth”, as it seems like most people get them removed due to lack of space, then why do we have them? Our past ancestors in evolution, thousands of years ago, had much larger jaws than we have today as the third molars served an important function. Their diet was much different than our current one. For example, the Neanderthals ate very tough meat, raw plants, nuts, and overall, a much coarser diet than our modern one. As we get closer to our jaw joint with teeth, we can put much more force on chewing and thus they were particularly important to pre-historic man. Over time our jaws have gotten smaller, and this is the reason for so many people not having enough space for the “wisdom teeth” to come in. It is due to the much different diets we have today and the unnecessary need for “wisdom teeth” for us to thrive. When the “wisdom teeth” are blocked from coming in we call them “impacted” as many of you know. If they become an issue, such as possibly damaging the other teeth, we usually have them removed.
That the molars come in about every 6 years played a significant role in our ancestor’s such as Neanderthals as they usually only lived to about 40 years old or so. Due to breakage and severe wearing of the molars this time frame helped our ancestors grow and survive. “Wisdom teeth” back then played an important role as the other molars would get severely worn or broken due to their diet and thus came in later to help them for chewing and eating into adulthood.
Today we are seeing more people with congenitally missing wisdom teeth. They are being slowly phased out as they are not necessary for our survival due to modern dentistry and different diets we now have. Nature and evolution are slowly taking over.
