Why Are They Called Wisdom Teeth?

Daniel assumes wisdom teeth make you smarter. They don't. The name has nothing to do with intelligence. Wisdom teeth are called that because of when they arrive -- somewhere between seventeen and twenty-five, an age historically associated with maturity. The Latin name is dens sapientiae. Tooth of wisdom. People have noticed their late arrival for thousands of years -- Aristotle wrote about them more than two thousand years ago. In Japanese, one traditional explanation calls them oyashirazu -- unknown to parents -- because they sometimes appear after children have grown up and are no longer living at home. The parents never see them come in. Daniel's reaction to that name is the episode's best line. The rest of the episode explains why wisdom teeth cause so many problems -- and what that tells us about how our bodies carry the past into the present. Some people never develop wisdom teeth at all. Scientists discuss what that means carefully. What you will find in this episode: Where the name wisdom tooth actually comes from -- and how old the idea is The Japanese name for wisdom teeth -- and the story behind it Why wisdom teeth so often cause problems today What happens when there is not enough room for them to erupt Whether humans are evolving away from wisdom teeth -- and why scientists are careful about that claim Daniel's closing line about obsolescence -- and Mom's response Short, surprising, and the kind of episode that makes your next dentist visit feel completely different. Listen, wonder, and learn. Find us @smilewithDaniel everywhere.