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

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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.

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What did you have for breakfast? Did you feel like you were putting stress on your jaws and teeth? How would that breakfast compare to that of a hunter/gatherer from the stone age? Think about the kinds of plants and animals they consumed, how they would be chewed, and how that would impact the development of jaw size in kids and adolescents.

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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

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