• Snot Flickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    5 months ago

    Most mammals instead evolved to have their teeth keep growing, like beavers, thus they need to keep using their teeth to keep them from growing out of control.

    Secondly, humans in particular, added tooth-enamel-eating-bacteria into our diet hundreds of thousands of years ago. Before that, we didn’t have a huge number of issues with our teeth, and so perhaps not enough time has actually passed since we got the bacteria eats our teeth for an evolutionary advantage that stops it from being an issue? Evolution isn’t so cut and dry, it’s not like it’s trying to solve problems. People with resistances to mouth bacteria probably exist, but are they reproducing enough to become the dominant geneaology? Who the fuck knows?

    • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
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      5 months ago

      They do exist, from memory they have another type of bacteria instead and there’s even a project trying to transfer it from people with it to people without it.

      Also as you said evolution doesn’t try to fix stuff and there’s a whole lot of stuff that could have evolved for the better (heck, we’re not even that well adapted to be standing up!), but if it doesn’t prevent reproduction then it gets passed down.

      • Kanzar@sh.itjust.works
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        5 months ago

        That’s like asking why we can’t just eliminate gonorrhea… people keep inoculating each other with the bad shit.

        I do tell my expecting parents (who happen to have bad teeth) that they should not test the food in their mouth and use the same spoon with their new child, as they will be passing on their bacteria to the kid. I do also imply they shouldn’t share things like drinks.

        Whether or not they listen to me isn’t my problem…

      • Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de
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        5 months ago

        we sort of can, it’s called eating a better diet.

        stop feeding the bacteria tons of sugar, start eating more chewy things that effectively brush your teeth as you eat them, and maybe even start chewing stuff like stalks of grass or twigs, that’s how a lot of people keep their teeth clean even today.