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Why do humans only have one set of teeth?

December 15, 2014

Filed under: Blog — docvacek @ 3:44 pm

If we had teeth like reptiles and sharks we would have no need for the dentist! I was watching a show yesterday on evolution. It peaked my interest because they were talking about teeth. Reptiles and sharks have several sets of teeth so if one has a problem, no big deal, they’ll get a new one. Supposedly, we are higher up on the evolutionary chain – so why only 2 sets? Our “lifetime” teeth allow for a stable occlusion or bite. This precise occlusion enables precision eating and chewing which turns out, is much more efficient than gnawing and ripping. Since our ancestors could digest so efficiently, they had much more time for hunting. Hey, I’m glad we have more time to hunt! However, I’m sure there are many people out there who would prefer shark teeth. No matter which way you look at it, evolution has decided that we’re stuck with our teeth for the rest of our life.