Why Are Human Teeth So Messed Up? (2017) • Hacker News Board

Re: Why Are Human Teeth So Messed Up? (2017)

#121

Post by abrookewood » Mon, Mar 18, 2019, 1:02 AM UTC

SteveCoast wrote: post #106

refurb wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Two thoughts: 1. They really are no sugar in aboriginal societies? No fruit or carbs? 2. I know a handful of people who eat Western diets who have zero tooth decay. Doesn’t seem like a great way to tell the age of a skull.

"Doesn’t seem like a great way to tell the age of a skull." The confidence of people far away at a different time without any relevant knowledge to dismiss an experienced local on the ground based on flawed high-level logic never ceases to surprise.

I don't actually read his comment as dismissive or confident, but more surprised and curious. There's nothing wrong with questioning other people's statements when they don't marry up with your own opinions.

Re: Why Are Human Teeth So Messed Up? (2017)

#122

Post by ip26 » Mon, Mar 18, 2019, 1:03 AM UTC

gregw2 wrote: post #6

Human teeth development changed sometime during the industrial revolution when women were expected to work outside the home and breastfeeding norms were shortened from 3-4 years to more like 1 year. Or that's at least one interesting hypothesis from someone looking at old skulls.

Do you have anything supporting that? My observation has been the kid loses interest somewhere between 1-2 years- the moms aren't cutting them off. Solid food is generally much more interesting.

Re: Why Are Human Teeth So Messed Up? (2017)

#123

Post by philwelch » Mon, Mar 18, 2019, 1:25 AM UTC

ip26 wrote: post #114

solveit wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I've always felt that if there was a part of our anatomy that we should think of replacing completely with an artificial design, it's teeth. I'll go with the spine, for pretty much the same reasons except more.

The spine worked pretty well until computers, as far as I understood.

Nah. You've never heard of someone having a "bad back"? That's been a common thing for centuries. You can tell because it doesn't have a fancy Greek- or Latin-derived name.

And there seems to be an understanding that "bad back" is an extremely common thing that can happen to anyone. For example, when JFK was president, many of his health issues were covered up because they wanted to project the image of a young, healthy President--except it was pretty well known that he had a bad back. In other words, in the 1960's, it was considered perfectly normal for a man in his forties to have a "bad back" for some reason or another, even during an era when chronic health conditions were stigmatized.

(It probably helped that JFK's back injury was partially caused by his heroic WWII exploits, namely swimming back and forth to rescue the crew of his sunken PT boat and sometimes towing their unconscious bodies to shore with the strap of their life vest between his teeth--thus elevating his disability to the status of a heroic war wound.)

Re: Why Are Human Teeth So Messed Up? (2017)

#124

Post by philwelch » Mon, Mar 18, 2019, 1:26 AM UTC

Scoundreller wrote: post #98

narrator wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A person I know got their whole mouth replaced with cubic zirconia implants in his 30s and is pretty happy about it. He just said that he screwed up his teeth very badly in his 20s somehow. I didn't ask.

I feel like I'd love to have that, but I run into the same reasoning against laser eye surgery: My work benefits cover full dental and my contacts, but I would have to pay substantial out-of-pocket for those procedures, even if they could save the benefits plan money over time.

If you can get a health plan with an HSA, you can use HSA money (pre-tax) to pay for LASIK. That's what I did, and I strongly recommend it.

Re: Why Are Human Teeth So Messed Up? (2017)

#125

Post by ajdlinux » Mon, Mar 18, 2019, 1:33 AM UTC

refurb wrote: post #99

cyberferret wrote: post #94

As a slight aside from the premise of the article, I was reminded of a story my friend once told me. He is a policeman, and works with the Water Police department in our town. One day, they got a call from some dirt bikers who were riding in the mangroves beaches across the bay that they had found two skeletons partially buried in the mud. As per standard procedures, a police patrol was dispatched to investigate (whi…

Two thoughts: 1. They really are no sugar in aboriginal societies? No fruit or carbs? 2. I know a handful of people who eat Western diets who have zero tooth decay. Doesn’t seem like a great way to tell the age of a skull.

> Doesn’t seem like a great way to tell the age of a skull.

Going to take a guess and say that a brief glance at the teeth is probably not the _only_ age determination method they applied before determining their course of action.

Re: Why Are Human Teeth So Messed Up? (2017)

#126

Post by refurb » Mon, Mar 18, 2019, 1:35 AM UTC

ajdlinux wrote: post #125

refurb wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Two thoughts: 1. They really are no sugar in aboriginal societies? No fruit or carbs? 2. I know a handful of people who eat Western diets who have zero tooth decay. Doesn’t seem like a great way to tell the age of a skull.

> Doesn’t seem like a great way to tell the age of a skull. Going to take a guess and say that a brief glance at the teeth is probably not the _only_ age determination method they applied before determining their course of action.

and asked her how she could tell even from afar that these were not more current remains

Re: Why Are Human Teeth So Messed Up? (2017)

#127

Post by logicallee » Mon, Mar 18, 2019, 1:36 AM UTC

cyberferret wrote: post #94

As a slight aside from the premise of the article, I was reminded of a story my friend once told me. He is a policeman, and works with the Water Police department in our town. One day, they got a call from some dirt bikers who were riding in the mangroves beaches across the bay that they had found two skeletons partially buried in the mud. As per standard procedures, a police patrol was dispatched to investigate (whi…

Thanks for sharing this story.

Re: Why Are Human Teeth So Messed Up? (2017)

#128

Post by refurb » Mon, Mar 18, 2019, 1:38 AM UTC

SteveCoast wrote: post #106

refurb wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Two thoughts: 1. They really are no sugar in aboriginal societies? No fruit or carbs? 2. I know a handful of people who eat Western diets who have zero tooth decay. Doesn’t seem like a great way to tell the age of a skull.

"Doesn’t seem like a great way to tell the age of a skull." The confidence of people far away at a different time without any relevant knowledge to dismiss an experienced local on the ground based on flawed high-level logic never ceases to surprise.

It’s because the story sounds like bullshit.

I have no doubt that you can tell the age of a skull with a close inspection of the teeth. This story was an anthropologist looking at remains from several feet away and claiming that it’s aboriginal from the lack of dental decay.

I proposed a few exceptions to that rule. Certainly not a quip about the expertise of the anthropologist, but rather the accuracy of the story.

Re: Why Are Human Teeth So Messed Up? (2017)

#129

Post by refurb » Mon, Mar 18, 2019, 1:39 AM UTC

abrookewood wrote: post #121

SteveCoast wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Doesn’t seem like a great way to tell the age of a skull." The confidence of people far away at a different time without any relevant knowledge to dismiss an experienced local on the ground based on flawed high-level logic never ceases to surprise.

I don't actually read his comment as dismissive or confident, but more surprised and curious. There's nothing wrong with questioning other people's statements when they don't marry up with your own opinions.

Indeed. It was more intellectual curiosity.

Re: Why Are Human Teeth So Messed Up? (2017)

#130

Post by refurb » Mon, Mar 18, 2019, 1:42 AM UTC

andrei_says_ wrote: post #113

refurb wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Two thoughts: 1. They really are no sugar in aboriginal societies? No fruit or carbs? 2. I know a handful of people who eat Western diets who have zero tooth decay. Doesn’t seem like a great way to tell the age of a skull.

He most likely meant refined sugars. Sugar is being added to most foods nowadays. The timeline of cheap refined sugar is the timeline of sugar addiction and tooth decay.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/01/06/tooth-...

Scientists examined the remains of 52 adults who had lived between roughly 12,000 and 13,000 B.C. and were buried in the cave. An astonishing 49 of them, or 94%, had cavities, which affected more than half of the surviving teeth.