How Wisdom Teeth Were Passed Down to Humans From Primate Ancestors With Larger Mouths

Reid Reimers of SciShow explained why humans have wisdom teeth, the problems they can cause to the rest of the mouth, how some people never grow wisdom teeth, and why they often have to be removed. It turns out that it is an evolutionary trait from a time when humans had larger mouths and smaller brains. Their grain-based diet also played a part. Wisdom teeth also have to do with body size and environment.

Some researchers have looked  at trends across primate teeth, and they’ve found that the size of  certain teeth does line up with diet, but molar size tends to have more  to do with body size and ancestry. …But we also know it’s not all about genetics, since studies on the teeth of twins have  found that the environment we grow up in can affect our wisdom tooth development.

Either way, wisdom teeth now are not what they once were to our ancestors.

One thing is pretty clear: our wisdom teeth have changed a lot since the days  of our ancient ancestors. They develop later in our  lives, cause more dental issues, and more frequently fail to develop. But if evolution ever does  get rid of them completely, wisdom tooth extractions  will be a thing of the past…