The average adult human mouth contains 32 highly mineralized units—our teeth. This set includes eight incisors, four canines, eight premolars, eight molars, and four wisdom teeth, which typically erupt later than the rest. However, this is just our second set. When milk teeth (20) and adult teeth (32) are counted together, the average person grows a total of 52 teeth in a lifetime. Intriguingly, babies are born with both their milk and adult teeth already formed within the skull, waiting to erupt. Given the brutality of these enamel shards ripping through innocent gums, it is no wonder that babies cry during the teething process.
History and Mythology
The discomfort of lost teeth is eased by the myth of the tooth fairy, a tradition with surprisingly brutal origins. The earliest recorded transaction for a lost child's tooth dates back to 13th-century Norse culture. Vikings, believing children's teeth were lucky, would wear them as necklaces when going into battle. This belief contrasts with instructions given to children in the Middle Ages, who were sometimes told to burn their baby teeth or risk spending the afterlife searching for them.
With such historical scaremongering, it is perhaps easier to understand why so many people now have a fear of dentists.
The Evolution of Dentistry
Modern dentistry is a vast improvement over its origins. Before it gained acceptance as a medical profession, tooth extraction was often the domain of barbers and blacksmiths—essentially anyone with access to sharp tools or heavy pliers. As 19th-century pioneers like Horace Wells and William Morton struggled for professional recognition, they staged public demonstrations of "painless" tooth extractions. While some of these attempts famously ended in agony, the push ultimately led to the adoption of anesthesia by 1846, making dental work significantly less precarious.
Despite advances in care, dental health remains a persistent issue; the average Brit, for example, has seven fillings.
Function, Evolution, and the Perfect Smile
Today, human teeth are primarily used to crush, slice, and make manageable almost every meal or snack we consume. Beyond function, they are also used for communication, reflecting our mood to others through a welcoming smile or an aggressive snarl.
The contemporary obsession with an all-white, perfectly uniform smile is a relatively recent phenomenon. The varied set of teeth we possess evolved to accommodate varying diets and environments, allowing humans to survive and flourish across the globe.
In the world of dental evolution, humans are easily outclassed by sharks. Unlike our finite count of 52 total teeth, sharks, such as the great white, can continuously regenerate and replace their teeth, producing tens of thousands over their lifetime. Compared to a shark, our 52 teeth seem relatively limited.
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