Wisdom teeth. How many wisdom teeth does a person have?

An adult person has 32 teeth. Canine teeth and cutting teeth are placed at the front. Premolar and molar teeth are placed near the canine teeth. Wisdom teeth are placed deeper in the mouth cavity. These teeth are also called third big molars. Adults have 4 wisdom teeth placed on the right and on the left in the mandible and maxilla.

If to think about the development of human teeth during the whole period of existence of mankind we shall see that modern people have 12 teeth less than their ancestors. Two premolar teeth and one cutting tooth from each side of the jaw are now nonexistent. Even modern people are still evolving. Probably one day we will no longer need our second and third molar teeth as well as lateral cutting teeth. Actually molar teeth of ancient people were all the same size. Scientists explain this fact this way: modern people do not have to try hard to chew solid food as it has become much softer than the food of our ancestors.

An American scientist Nodin (and other scientists) has come to the conclusion that as a result of evolution people eat softer food.

Eventually occlusal load of modern people is less heavy than that of ancient people. That is why the number of wisdom teeth of people living in developed countries like the USA has reduced. With people living in less developed countries (Eskimo people) anomalies of the denture are practically nonexistent. The main reason for that is nourishment. Eating rough vegetable and animal food creates occlusal load on all teeth. Professor Charles Loring Brace, an anthropologist of Michigan University claims that 10000 years ago all people had wisdom teeth. Nowadays only 50% of the population of the planet has wisdom teeth. Wisdom teeth eruption is no always an easy thing to cope with and can be painful. Wisdom teeth eruption usually takes place when a person is 16-25 years old. Still, there is a chance that your wisdom teeth will never erupt.