Skip to main content

Why do we have crooked teeth when our ancestors didn’t? - G. Richard Scott

4,012,119 Views

2,879 Questions Answered

TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

According to the fossil record, ancient humans usually had straight teeth, complete with wisdom teeth. In fact, the dental dilemmas that fuel the demand for braces and wisdom teeth extractions today appear to be recent developments. So, what happened? While it’s nearly impossible to know for sure, scientists have a hypothesis. G. Richard Scott shares the prevailing theory on crooked teeth.

What experimental animal was used to demonstrate how a diet composed of softer foods led to tooth crowding?

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator G. Richard Scott
  • Director Igor Coric, Artrake Studio
  • Narrator Addison Anderson
  • Music Salil Bhayani, cAMP Studio
  • Sound Designer Nirana Singh, cAMP Studio
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Senior Producer Anna Bechtol
  • Associate Producer Sazia Afrin
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Editorial Producer Cella Wright
  • Script Editor Emma Bryce

More from Getting Under Our Skin