Skip to main content

Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth, also known as third molars, are the last teeth to erupt in your mouth. This generally occurs between the ages of 17 and 25, a time of life that has been called the "Age of Wisdom."

Anthropologists note that the rough diet of early humans resulted in the excessive wear of their teeth. Normal drifting of the teeth to compensate for this wear ensured that space was available for most wisdom teeth to erupt by adolescence. The modern diet, which is much softer, and the popularity of orthodontic tooth straightening procedures produce a fuller dental arch, which quite commonly doesn't leave room for the wisdom teeth to erupt, thereby setting the stage for problems when the final four molars enter the mouth.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Chewing Robot' could revolutionise dental research

A 'Chewing Robot' which mimics the human jaw and teeth could revolutionise dental research, it has emerged. Published: 7:00AM BST 30 Jun 2009 The mechanical mandible allows experts to study the wear-and-tear on dental fittings like crowns and bridges without using costly human subjects. Fittings are made from well-known metals, polymers and ceramics – but their dental wear properties are often poorly understood. Related Articles Lifecoach: coping with the shock of losing your job Gene found that makes tooth enamel could revolutionise dental care Chip is 400th the size of grain of salt Chocolate could fight tooth decay Robot mimics human action and plays rock-paper-scissors Clinical trials examining the toll taken on real human teeth are expensive and time-consuming. By the time a new material has been tested, it is often obsolete. This is where the Chewing Robot – created by the University of Bristol and the Department of Oral and Dental Science – comes in. The movements and ...