From the other side of the Drill #6: Worthless Wisdom Teeth?
Me:
So what’s with wisdom teeth anyway? Why do we have them if they just have to be cut out?
Melynda (My dentist and lovely wife):
Wisdom teeth are actually not harmful in many people. For those who have mouths large enough to accomodate 4 additional molars, wisdom teeth pose no problem at all other than a few more surfaces to brush.
But many people have jaws that are just too small to house 4 extra teeth, and this is why they start coming in wierd ways (sideways, pointing out toward your cheek, just plain lodged in your bone…) and possibly emerging, getting infected and causing pain. I’d venture to guess that our jaws have evolved smaller due to our change in diet, but the teeth haven’t quite caught up in everyone.
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