Since we’re born with 2 sets of teeth why don’t we keep our baby teeth for longer than 7ish years. Seems like it would be evolutionarily advantageous to keep them for 20 or so years, let them get all banged up and have cavities and then fall out and get a fresh new set for the remainder of our lives.
I’m guessing size plays into it somehow but still, it seems like a little more mastication while young would be preferable to the loss of your teeth during middle/old age due to disease/accidents.
In: Biology
I’m no tooth expert so delete this if I’m making a cool of myself, but I think we probably have two sets of teeth for different reasons than you assume.
After a little bit of googling, it looks like it’s 100% due to jaw space considerations. most mammals get their adult teeth in around the time when their jaws are big enough to hold all of them.
Cavities weren’t a major issue until people started eating sugary foods frequently. Also, our bodies are adapted for an average life expectancy of like 35, this way you have nice new teeth when you’re entering your prime years, and when you’re 50-60+…. well, it just doesn’t matter as much, evolutionarily.
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