Why Do We Need Wisdom Teeth Removed and Braces? Did Our Ancestors Have Better Jaws?
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5 Surprising Ways Modern Life May Be Changing Our Jaws
“Healthy teeth need more than good brushing. How our jaws grow during childhood matters, too.” — Suggested quote for Mas’ood Cajee, DDS, MPH, Manteca dentist
1. Our ancestors often had roomier jaws. Archaeologists have found many ancient skulls with broad dental arches and relatively little crowding. But perfect teeth were never universal.
2. Soft foods may change jaw development. Chewing tougher foods exercises the jaw muscles and places forces on growing bones. Scientists suspect that modern, softer diets contribute to smaller jaws and crowded teeth.
3. Wisdom teeth haven't disappeared. Our third molars typically emerge between ages 17 and 25. When there isn't enough room, they may become trapped, infected, or difficult to clean. Not everyone needs them removed.
4. Weston Price noticed something fascinating. In the 1930s, dentist Weston A. Price studied traditional communities and reported less tooth decay and crowding among people eating ancestral diets. His observations were influential, but his methods cannot prove that processed foods caused smaller jaws.
5. Nutrition matters, but so do breathing and genetics. Childhood nutrition, inherited facial structure, oral habits, and possibly chronic mouth breathing can all influence dental development.
The takeaway: Braces and wisdom tooth surgery aren't simply consequences of eating processed food. But what children eat—and how they chew—may help shape their future smiles.
DID YOU KNOW…? Some people never develop all four wisdom teeth!
DID YOU KNOW…? Ancient teeth often show heavy wear from gritty food, even when they weren't crowded.
#dentistmanteca #ddsmanteca #bracesmanteca
Sources and further reading
PNAS (2017): Changes in human skull morphology across the agricultural transition — Evidence linking softer diets with modest changes in jaw and skull shape.
PLOS ONE (2021): A dental revolution — How food processing changed chewing behavior.
American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons: Wisdom teeth management — When extraction may be appropriate.
NICE: Guidance on wisdom tooth extraction — Why routine removal of disease-free impacted wisdom teeth is discouraged in the UK.
Where to get more info
Explore Weston A. Price on Wikipedia and Malocclusion on Wikipedia.
An important distinction: The evidence for softer diets affecting jaw development is stronger than the evidence that nutritional deficiencies alone explain modern dental crowding. Price raised worthwhile questions, but his full nutritional theory has not been established by modern research.
