You deserve the truth about your tooth. Your mouth has room for 28 separate teeth. Yet wisdom teeth can grow in, putting 32 teeth in your mouth.
Many people think they know wisdom teeth fun facts. They assume that wisdom teeth are completely useless. That is one of many misconceptions about wisdom teeth.
Why do human beings have wisdom teeth? How many wisdom teeth do people have? When is the removal of wisdom teeth necessary?
Answer these questions and you can take charge of your teeth. Here are seven interesting wisdom teeth facts.
1. Wisdom Teeth Don’t Have an Evolutionary Purpose
Prehistoric people ate raw meat and roots that were hard to chew. Having an extra tooth helped them break these foods down for easier digestion.
But humans nowadays cook their food and choose softer produce. This means that wisdom teeth are useless on an evolutionary level.
2. Yet Wisdom Teeth Can Save Lives
Stem cells are undifferentiated cells. They can latch onto tissues and transform themselves into cells for those tissues.
Wisdom teeth contain stem cells in them. Doctors can extract the cells and then inject them into parts of the body. This can help treat cancer and muscle atrophy.
3. Wisdom Teeth May Have to Do With Wisdom
The name, “wisdom teeth,” refers to when wisdom teeth erupt in the mouth. They erupt late in life when someone is wiser. Other languages refer to wisdom teeth differently, connoting them with love and moving out of the house of one’s parents.
4. Everyone Has a Different Number of Wisdom Teeth
Early human beings had up to 12 wisdom teeth because they needed them to survive. Some people nowadays have three or four teeth. Others may have one at most.
5. Eruptions Can Occur at Any Time
Many people experience eruptions of their wisdom teeth in their teenage years or in their 20s. Yet people in their 90s have grown wisdom teeth.
6. You Don’t Have to Get Them Removed
Lists of facts about wisdom teeth often say that you must get your wisdom teeth removed. This is not the case. If your wisdom tooth does not hurt you or damage surrounding teeth, you can keep your tooth.
7. Removal Can Be Easy
Removal of wisdom teeth does not have to involve extensive surgery. If a tooth is growing out of the gums, a dentist can apply a local anesthetic and then pluck the tooth out. Complications for wisdom teeth removal include swollen lips after surgery.
The Seven Most Important Wisdom Teeth Facts
Wisdom teeth facts may surprise you. Humans needed their teeth to break down the tough foods they ate. Doctors can now use them for stem cells.
The name, “wisdom teeth,” indicates that someone is older when they have wisdom teeth. But some people may not have any wisdom teeth. Some people can develop wisdom teeth when they are very young or old.
Wisdom teeth do not need removal. Yet removal can involve basic surgery with minimal complications.
Wisdom teeth are one part of your dental health you should understand. Read more dental health guides by following our coverage.
