Humans used to have straighter teeth.

The claim that humans used to have straighter teeth is supported by fossil records and expert analysis. Several sources, including National Geographic and TED talks by G. Richard Scott, explain that early humans typically had well-aligned teeth without the need for orthodontics.nationalgeographic.comnationalgeographic.comHumans used to have straighter teeth—what changed?ed.ted.comed.ted.comWhy do we have crooked teeth when our ancestors didn’t?+1 more

This is attributed to their diet, which was tougher and required more chewing, promoting larger jaws that could accommodate all teeth properly. After the agricultural revolution, diets became softer and less abrasive, leading to smaller jaws and more crowded, crooked teeth in modern populations.

However, it's important to note that while ancient teeth were straighter, they were not necessarily healthier overall, issues like wear and cavities still existed.smithsonianmag.comsmithsonianmag.comPrehistoric Humans Had Better Teeth Than We Do So, the difference is mostly about alignment rather than overall dental health. Some sources like Quora add context about natural wear patterns but agree on the general trend of straighter ancient teeth.quora.comquora.comIs it true that cavemen used to have relatively straight teeth?

The Reddit discussion also supports the idea that crooked teeth became more common post-agriculture.reddit.comreddit.comr/AskHistorians on Reddit: Did Homo sapiens have straighter or less crowded...