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by sillysaurusx
2344 days ago
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It's weird that we don't know what teeth were like before fluoride was invented. The knowledge isn't directly accessible to everyday people. Sure, we know some examples, but what about the averages? Was everyone's teeth just completely screwed, all the time? How could evolution work that way? We need our teeth to eat. It's further complicated by the invention of processed sugar, which ruins teeth. Before that, presumably it wasn't quite as bad to live without fluoride. But again, the knowledge seems kind of hard to find. Anecdotally, I lucked out by not listening to a dentist when they said one of my teeth had to come out. Still have it six years later, and it's fine. Apparently it was a rather intense toothache that eventually went away. |
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Well, often, yes. See, for example, the history of pre-modern dentures, which were common for people in only their 30s and 40s (George Washington's teeth all fell out before he even reached 30!).
> How could evolution work that way?
Two reasons:
First, if you've had children, you're surplus material. Most people throughout history who have had children have done so by the age of 30 or 40, and so after that, their teeth just don't matter, evolution-wise.
Second, humans evolved in an environment with very limited access to sugar and acidic foods. Sugar and acidic foods are the main cause of cavities, and have been common since the invention of civilization and extremely common since the advent of mass industrialization.
> Still have it six years later, and it's fine.
It's probably not fine. It's entirely possible to have teeth that are apparently pain-free right up until they literally snap in half from deep cavities.