[lettergram]

> We have very few teeth from this period in Africa. We don’t know if this is unusual or not,

Alternative view, cavities were common and the teeth were removed / fell out.

[axlee]

The question should be "where are the missing teeth?, and why?

[labster]

Tooth Fairy has them, obviously.

[mostertoaster]

Back in those days she practically got them for free!

It’s why she’s been able to keep her rates so low today, she has a huge backfill from our ancient ancestors’ teeth.

[djbusby]

Wouldn't they be scattered? Pluck rotten tooth, toss...years later die and leave a big collection of bones, while the little tooth just erodes away?

[nine_k]

Badly damaged teeth also tend to splinter and crack, leaving little from the original shape to recognize.

The question is, where are the half-decayed teeth that must statistically be present in skulls, because people die of unpredictable circumstances?

[bryanrasmussen]

what is the statistical chance that half decayed teeth will be present in the population that dies unexpectedly and what is the chance that someone who died unexpectedly will have their fossilized remains dug up later?

[gumby]

Do modern skulls lose their teeth too? Do we find them in a little pile under the skull?

[mysterydip]

The epitome of survivorship bias