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. [Directed by Igor Coric, Artrake Studio, narrated by Addison Anderson, music by Salil Bhayani, cAMP Studio].

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

Why do we have crooked teeth when our ancestors didn't?

Dietary shifts and reduced chewing demands have led to smaller jaws but same-sized teeth, causing crowding and crookedness.

Ancient diets required tough chewing, keeping jaws wide and teeth straight—modern soft foods have led to dental crowding.

Dental evolution shows smaller jaws in modern humans due to processed foods, causing misaligned teeth and wisdom tooth issues.