Why humans are the only species who get wonky teeth and require orthodontic treatment??
In: Biology
Our ancestors had smaller brains and bigger jaws than us, so even before humans became civilized our jaws were already cramped.
And for a lot of human history, the main method of preserving meat was dehydrating, and the meat itself was often overcooked and already tough. Which helped our jaws toughen up as developing children ate the tough jerky, which can best be described as “the texture and toughness of an old shoe with roughly the same amount of flavor”
Once better food preservation like canning took wind, gnawing on salty strips of flesh leather died down, leading to people’s jaws not developing as tough and being a bit smaller on average. Which was the final straw of teeth-cramping.
The reason you have wisdom teeth that grow in sideways? Big brain, and small and weak jaw.
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