Some experts believe wisdom teeth developed when early humans needed additional biting power to consume a rougher diet. Others point out that the eruption of an extra set of molar in late adolescence to early adulthood may compensate for teeth lost due to poor dental care. However, over time three factors have emerged that make complications related to wisdom teeth more commonplace. These factors are:

• Evolution of jaw size. Because the jaw is smaller in today’s humans, wisdom teeth do not always have the space to erupt amid all the teeth that previously erupted.
  
  
• Improvements in dental care. People do not lose as many teeth as in the past, so there is less extra room in the jaw. The emerging wisdom teeth can compress the adjacent teeth.
  
  
• Changes in diet. Modern diets include fewer tough foods. This has resulted in less wear on the teeth and reduced space for wisdom teeth to emerge.

Wisdom teeth are subject to more complications than other teeth because they are the last to erupt and have to compete for space with other teeth that are already present. People with small jawbones may be at greater risk of having impacted wisdom teeth. Otherwise, there are no known biological or environmental factors that increase a person’s risk of having impacted wisdom teeth.