Why are they called wisdom teeth

Answer

Wisdom teeth earned their title because they usually appear between ages 17 and 21 or the time when people used to think wisdom was gained, and they have been referred to as teeth of wisdom since the seventeenth century and simply wisdom teeth since the nineteenth century[5]. It is thought that the term comes from the idea that maturity and wisdom come with age, and wisdom teeth usually appear when someone is older, thus having acquired more wisdom[5]. Wisdom teeth can also remain partially impacted creating more hard-to-reach nooks and crannies, which could have added to the idea of wisdom or have been a metaphor for knowledge often hidden away[3].

In addition, the other molars arrive when a person is a child, and wisdom teeth appear when the person is an adult, and presumably much wiser[4]. The reason why wisdom teeth have the most notoriety and why they have been labeled as the "teeth of wisdom" is due to the fact that so many of us have had them out[5]. They are located in the very back of your mouth, and since the other molars arrive when a person is a child and the third molars arrive when a person is an adult and supposedly much wiser, they are often described as the "teeth of wisdom[4].

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Websites

1. https://www.pineypointoms.com/blog/third-molars-why-called-wisdom-teeth-oral-surgeon-houston-explains/
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisdom_tooth
3. https://www.healthline.com/health/why-do-we-have-wisdom-teeth
4. https://www.highpointdental.com/how-wisdom-teeth-got-their-name-chalfont/
5. https://clinicadentalsmalia.com/why-are-they-called-wisdom-teeth/?lang=en
6. https://summitdentalhealth.net/why-are-wisdom-teeth-called-wisdom-teeth/
7. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/23223-wisdom-teeth
8. https://prestigefamilydentistry.com/blog/some-people-dont-have-wisdom-teeth/

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