On Monday, Jan 31, 2005, at 08:40 Asia/Tokyo, Richard Geller wrote:

> 2. I'm sure many people will not lose their teeth if they don't get
> their plaque removed, but I am also sure many will. Genetics play a
> part
> in addition to diet.

I think you got it. I recall reading that humans have been losing tooth
size and density for the last 100,000 years, due to the effects of
cooking and processing reducing the need and evolutionary pressure for
strong teeth. With a pot to boil food in, and a mill to grind it, we
really don't need strong teeth to survive. Both my folks have bad
teeth, and my four brothers and sisters all do too. My wife has very
thick, strong healthy teeth, and I sure hope my kids end up that way
too, but I am not leaving it up to genetics and chance. They brush at
least twice a day, and I check to make sure it is done right. I don't
want them suffering the way I have, through my own laziness as a youth!

But since starting paleo my teeth have been great. Except for where old
fillings have crumbled, I have not needed any major dental work, and
the gums are much healthier. I wish I had either started paleo a long
time ago, or had at least brushed regularly. My bad.
>
> 3. If people don't live a long time they don't need their teeth. I am
> sure that paleo people had a much higher rate of death from disease and
> violence. On this mailgroup, the belief in the "noble savage" is very
> much alive. That is, people here tend to believe all things are healthy
> with paleo but that is simply untrue. You can look at animals living in
> a state of nature and you will observe that nature is a very violent
> place with lots of death from disease and parasites to boot. So how
> valuable are teeth if you aren't going to live a long, long life?
>

I agree here too. I believe that wisdom teeth are nature's provision
for lost/rotted teeth. They come in late, when the odds are that most
people living in a tough environment will have lost a few teeth, so
there would be plenty of room for wisdom teeth to fit into the tooth
line without trouble. If you look at older wild animals, most of them
show damage of some sort, decay or broken teeth are common.

It is interesting though to go to an archeology display and look at the
paleo skulls. A lot of them show perfectly formed teeth in a nice round
arch and little or no decay.