Well, do they?
Flight Rising Discussion
Discuss everything and anything Flight Rising.
TOPIC | Do dragons have wisdom teeth?
...Well now I'm curious enough to do research.
(Disclaimer: I am not a dentist or any some sort of scientist, I am just a curious person who knows how to google, and this may or may not be 100% accurate.)
So, it probably depends! If the question is, "do dragons have wisdom teeth that get removed", my guess would be no, as I think we are the only mammal who struggles with wisdom teeth. Every other toothed mammal has them, including primates, but their jaws are large enough to accommodate them.
But if the question is simply just, "do they have wisdom teeth", then that's a whole other ballpark! It probably depends on the species of dragon, their diet, and type of teeth they have. Wisdom teeth are molars, which are primarily used to help grind up food to better digest it. Mammals have these kinds of teeth, as we all share a similar sort of pattern to our teeth (aka canines, molars, and whatnot.) But the same is not true of reptiles! Reptiles do not have this sort of pattern, and their teeth tend to be far more uniform, often in a sort of conical, pointy shape.
Then of course, there are fish to factor in! Fish teeth wildly vary, from sharks who regrow their teeth, to the pacu with the more human-esc teeth. Their teeth evolved depending on their diet, from more sharp canine-like teeth, to ones like molars, to teeth that have fused into plates and become almost beak-like! So, while whether or not they have actual "wisdom teeth" probably depends on your definition of what wisdom teeth are, they certainly do have a variety of tooth shapes.
Mostly, what it comes down to is this. If we were saying our dragons are mammals or mammal-like, then yes, they'd probably have them. But if we consider them reptiles, as many people often do, then maybe not so much. But considering dragons are probably neither, and are an entirely different species, then it could really be anything, and depends what sort of teeth they DID evolve with, and what functions those teeth perform--possibly like how fish teeth are! Whether or not this really means they would have actual, bona-fide wisdom teeth, or teeth that act like those, or none at all, that's probably up for debate, and depends on what you would consider under the umbrella of wisdom teeth. My guess would probably be a no, since it seems like a mammal thing, but I could be wrong, and it all depends on the world-building!
tl;dr MAYBE, WHO KNOWS. I just know I'm certainly not sticking my head in there to take a look.
Of all ways I had to choose to really start posting on forums as a semi-newbie lurker, of course it had to be like this. Whoops. Nerd alert.
(Disclaimer: I am not a dentist or any some sort of scientist, I am just a curious person who knows how to google, and this may or may not be 100% accurate.)
So, it probably depends! If the question is, "do dragons have wisdom teeth that get removed", my guess would be no, as I think we are the only mammal who struggles with wisdom teeth. Every other toothed mammal has them, including primates, but their jaws are large enough to accommodate them.
But if the question is simply just, "do they have wisdom teeth", then that's a whole other ballpark! It probably depends on the species of dragon, their diet, and type of teeth they have. Wisdom teeth are molars, which are primarily used to help grind up food to better digest it. Mammals have these kinds of teeth, as we all share a similar sort of pattern to our teeth (aka canines, molars, and whatnot.) But the same is not true of reptiles! Reptiles do not have this sort of pattern, and their teeth tend to be far more uniform, often in a sort of conical, pointy shape.
Then of course, there are fish to factor in! Fish teeth wildly vary, from sharks who regrow their teeth, to the pacu with the more human-esc teeth. Their teeth evolved depending on their diet, from more sharp canine-like teeth, to ones like molars, to teeth that have fused into plates and become almost beak-like! So, while whether or not they have actual "wisdom teeth" probably depends on your definition of what wisdom teeth are, they certainly do have a variety of tooth shapes.
Mostly, what it comes down to is this. If we were saying our dragons are mammals or mammal-like, then yes, they'd probably have them. But if we consider them reptiles, as many people often do, then maybe not so much. But considering dragons are probably neither, and are an entirely different species, then it could really be anything, and depends what sort of teeth they DID evolve with, and what functions those teeth perform--possibly like how fish teeth are! Whether or not this really means they would have actual, bona-fide wisdom teeth, or teeth that act like those, or none at all, that's probably up for debate, and depends on what you would consider under the umbrella of wisdom teeth. My guess would probably be a no, since it seems like a mammal thing, but I could be wrong, and it all depends on the world-building!
tl;dr MAYBE, WHO KNOWS. I just know I'm certainly not sticking my head in there to take a look.
Of all ways I had to choose to really start posting on forums as a semi-newbie lurker, of course it had to be like this. Whoops. Nerd alert.
...Well now I'm curious enough to do research.
(Disclaimer: I am not a dentist or any some sort of scientist, I am just a curious person who knows how to google, and this may or may not be 100% accurate.)
So, it probably depends! If the question is, "do dragons have wisdom teeth that get removed", my guess would be no, as I think we are the only mammal who struggles with wisdom teeth. Every other toothed mammal has them, including primates, but their jaws are large enough to accommodate them.
But if the question is simply just, "do they have wisdom teeth", then that's a whole other ballpark! It probably depends on the species of dragon, their diet, and type of teeth they have. Wisdom teeth are molars, which are primarily used to help grind up food to better digest it. Mammals have these kinds of teeth, as we all share a similar sort of pattern to our teeth (aka canines, molars, and whatnot.) But the same is not true of reptiles! Reptiles do not have this sort of pattern, and their teeth tend to be far more uniform, often in a sort of conical, pointy shape.
Then of course, there are fish to factor in! Fish teeth wildly vary, from sharks who regrow their teeth, to the pacu with the more human-esc teeth. Their teeth evolved depending on their diet, from more sharp canine-like teeth, to ones like molars, to teeth that have fused into plates and become almost beak-like! So, while whether or not they have actual "wisdom teeth" probably depends on your definition of what wisdom teeth are, they certainly do have a variety of tooth shapes.
Mostly, what it comes down to is this. If we were saying our dragons are mammals or mammal-like, then yes, they'd probably have them. But if we consider them reptiles, as many people often do, then maybe not so much. But considering dragons are probably neither, and are an entirely different species, then it could really be anything, and depends what sort of teeth they DID evolve with, and what functions those teeth perform--possibly like how fish teeth are! Whether or not this really means they would have actual, bona-fide wisdom teeth, or teeth that act like those, or none at all, that's probably up for debate, and depends on what you would consider under the umbrella of wisdom teeth. My guess would probably be a no, since it seems like a mammal thing, but I could be wrong, and it all depends on the world-building!
tl;dr MAYBE, WHO KNOWS. I just know I'm certainly not sticking my head in there to take a look.
Of all ways I had to choose to really start posting on forums as a semi-newbie lurker, of course it had to be like this. Whoops. Nerd alert.
(Disclaimer: I am not a dentist or any some sort of scientist, I am just a curious person who knows how to google, and this may or may not be 100% accurate.)
So, it probably depends! If the question is, "do dragons have wisdom teeth that get removed", my guess would be no, as I think we are the only mammal who struggles with wisdom teeth. Every other toothed mammal has them, including primates, but their jaws are large enough to accommodate them.
But if the question is simply just, "do they have wisdom teeth", then that's a whole other ballpark! It probably depends on the species of dragon, their diet, and type of teeth they have. Wisdom teeth are molars, which are primarily used to help grind up food to better digest it. Mammals have these kinds of teeth, as we all share a similar sort of pattern to our teeth (aka canines, molars, and whatnot.) But the same is not true of reptiles! Reptiles do not have this sort of pattern, and their teeth tend to be far more uniform, often in a sort of conical, pointy shape.
Then of course, there are fish to factor in! Fish teeth wildly vary, from sharks who regrow their teeth, to the pacu with the more human-esc teeth. Their teeth evolved depending on their diet, from more sharp canine-like teeth, to ones like molars, to teeth that have fused into plates and become almost beak-like! So, while whether or not they have actual "wisdom teeth" probably depends on your definition of what wisdom teeth are, they certainly do have a variety of tooth shapes.
Mostly, what it comes down to is this. If we were saying our dragons are mammals or mammal-like, then yes, they'd probably have them. But if we consider them reptiles, as many people often do, then maybe not so much. But considering dragons are probably neither, and are an entirely different species, then it could really be anything, and depends what sort of teeth they DID evolve with, and what functions those teeth perform--possibly like how fish teeth are! Whether or not this really means they would have actual, bona-fide wisdom teeth, or teeth that act like those, or none at all, that's probably up for debate, and depends on what you would consider under the umbrella of wisdom teeth. My guess would probably be a no, since it seems like a mammal thing, but I could be wrong, and it all depends on the world-building!
tl;dr MAYBE, WHO KNOWS. I just know I'm certainly not sticking my head in there to take a look.
Of all ways I had to choose to really start posting on forums as a semi-newbie lurker, of course it had to be like this. Whoops. Nerd alert.
I see someone's already covered general characteristics of dragons, but what about breed specifics?
[i]Technically[/i], no other animal has wisdom teeth as we know them; the third molars usually fit within a mammal's mouth just fine. Most reptiles don't even have human-like teeth(in this case, the definition of human-like teeth being taken as thecodont/having teeth fixed in sockets of the jaw), with the exception of crocodiles and certain dinosaurs, who have molars somewhat similar to humans'.
However, since several dragons are partially based on dinosaurs and mammals that do have molars, we can assume that at least some of them have molars that might be counted as wisdom teeth.
Bogsneak- Most likely not:
[quote]A long, prehensile tongue and rows of sharp razor-like teeth sit in a powerful jaw. [/quote]
This implies that bogs only have incisors. No molars means no possibility of wisdom teeth.
Coatl- Also probably not. The encyclopedia makes no mention of teeth, but judging by their design, one can assume their teeth resemble a snake's, meaning they also have no molars.
Fae- maybe yes, probably not?? While molars usually develop mostly in plant-eating species, it's possible that faes may have evolved teeth. However, the Swipp family art suggests that fae have no teeth at all, so it's up for debate.
Guardian- plausible. Their dinosaur-like design and partial plant diet could definitely suggest that these giants have molars. There's nothing to confirm this, but nothing to disprove it either.
Imperial- plausible. See above, sans the dinosaur design.
Mirror- plausible. While they eat only meat and seafood, their wolf-like behavior and diet means that they could have a set of teeth similar to a wolf, which includes ten molars on average.
Nocturne- plausible. Their inspiration, the bat, has teeth that vary from species to species, though several, including those which eat insects, have simple molars that can break through an insect's exoskeleton. Also, some have the third set of molars required to qualify as "wisdom teeth".
Pearlcatcher- plausible. See Imperial.
Ridgeback- unlikely. (thank you @/Marilill!) Their diet and appearance strongly resemble a goblin shark's. Though goblin sharks do have rounded teeth that have the same function as molars, they do not qualify as true molars.
Skydancer- unlikely. Their bird-like characteristics may mean that they have the teeth structure of a bird as well. That is to say, no teeth at all/pseudo-teeth like ducks.
Snapper- extremely likely. Encyclopedia mentions that their "impressive beaks are lined with molars that begin halfway down the jaw and continue all the way to the back." This description also means that overcrowding is possible, if not likely.
Spiral- unlikely, but plausible. Like coatls, they resemble snakes, although to less of an extent, so their teeth structure is uncertain. Their diet of insects and meat can also mean that molars are a possibility, but not a probability.
Tundra- extremely likely. The encyclopedia mentions that the majority of their teeth are molars, and since they also "possess impressive canine teeth", this opens the possibility of overcrowding similar to that of humans.
Wildclaw- very unlikely. Their meat-based diet and design suggest a set of teeth very similar to a raptor's, which have no molars whatsoever.
[size=2]you probably expected joke answers i'm so sorry
i was bored ok
[size=1]also i'm tired so this probably doesn't make sense
I see someone's already covered general characteristics of dragons, but what about breed specifics?
Technically, no other animal has wisdom teeth as we know them; the third molars usually fit within a mammal's mouth just fine. Most reptiles don't even have human-like teeth(in this case, the definition of human-like teeth being taken as thecodont/having teeth fixed in sockets of the jaw), with the exception of crocodiles and certain dinosaurs, who have molars somewhat similar to humans'.
However, since several dragons are partially based on dinosaurs and mammals that do have molars, we can assume that at least some of them have molars that might be counted as wisdom teeth.
Bogsneak- Most likely not:
This implies that bogs only have incisors. No molars means no possibility of wisdom teeth.
Coatl- Also probably not. The encyclopedia makes no mention of teeth, but judging by their design, one can assume their teeth resemble a snake's, meaning they also have no molars.
Fae- maybe yes, probably not?? While molars usually develop mostly in plant-eating species, it's possible that faes may have evolved teeth. However, the Swipp family art suggests that fae have no teeth at all, so it's up for debate.
Guardian- plausible. Their dinosaur-like design and partial plant diet could definitely suggest that these giants have molars. There's nothing to confirm this, but nothing to disprove it either.
Imperial- plausible. See above, sans the dinosaur design.
Mirror- plausible. While they eat only meat and seafood, their wolf-like behavior and diet means that they could have a set of teeth similar to a wolf, which includes ten molars on average.
Nocturne- plausible. Their inspiration, the bat, has teeth that vary from species to species, though several, including those which eat insects, have simple molars that can break through an insect's exoskeleton. Also, some have the third set of molars required to qualify as "wisdom teeth".
Pearlcatcher- plausible. See Imperial.
Ridgeback- unlikely. (thank you @/Marilill!) Their diet and appearance strongly resemble a goblin shark's. Though goblin sharks do have rounded teeth that have the same function as molars, they do not qualify as true molars.
Skydancer- unlikely. Their bird-like characteristics may mean that they have the teeth structure of a bird as well. That is to say, no teeth at all/pseudo-teeth like ducks.
Snapper- extremely likely. Encyclopedia mentions that their "impressive beaks are lined with molars that begin halfway down the jaw and continue all the way to the back." This description also means that overcrowding is possible, if not likely.
Spiral- unlikely, but plausible. Like coatls, they resemble snakes, although to less of an extent, so their teeth structure is uncertain. Their diet of insects and meat can also mean that molars are a possibility, but not a probability.
Tundra- extremely likely. The encyclopedia mentions that the majority of their teeth are molars, and since they also "possess impressive canine teeth", this opens the possibility of overcrowding similar to that of humans.
Wildclaw- very unlikely. Their meat-based diet and design suggest a set of teeth very similar to a raptor's, which have no molars whatsoever.
you probably expected joke answers i'm so sorry
i was bored ok
also i'm tired so this probably doesn't make sense
Technically, no other animal has wisdom teeth as we know them; the third molars usually fit within a mammal's mouth just fine. Most reptiles don't even have human-like teeth(in this case, the definition of human-like teeth being taken as thecodont/having teeth fixed in sockets of the jaw), with the exception of crocodiles and certain dinosaurs, who have molars somewhat similar to humans'.
However, since several dragons are partially based on dinosaurs and mammals that do have molars, we can assume that at least some of them have molars that might be counted as wisdom teeth.
Bogsneak- Most likely not:
Quote:
A long, prehensile tongue and rows of sharp razor-like teeth sit in a powerful jaw.
This implies that bogs only have incisors. No molars means no possibility of wisdom teeth.
Coatl- Also probably not. The encyclopedia makes no mention of teeth, but judging by their design, one can assume their teeth resemble a snake's, meaning they also have no molars.
Fae- maybe yes, probably not?? While molars usually develop mostly in plant-eating species, it's possible that faes may have evolved teeth. However, the Swipp family art suggests that fae have no teeth at all, so it's up for debate.
Guardian- plausible. Their dinosaur-like design and partial plant diet could definitely suggest that these giants have molars. There's nothing to confirm this, but nothing to disprove it either.
Imperial- plausible. See above, sans the dinosaur design.
Mirror- plausible. While they eat only meat and seafood, their wolf-like behavior and diet means that they could have a set of teeth similar to a wolf, which includes ten molars on average.
Nocturne- plausible. Their inspiration, the bat, has teeth that vary from species to species, though several, including those which eat insects, have simple molars that can break through an insect's exoskeleton. Also, some have the third set of molars required to qualify as "wisdom teeth".
Pearlcatcher- plausible. See Imperial.
Ridgeback- unlikely. (thank you @/Marilill!) Their diet and appearance strongly resemble a goblin shark's. Though goblin sharks do have rounded teeth that have the same function as molars, they do not qualify as true molars.
Skydancer- unlikely. Their bird-like characteristics may mean that they have the teeth structure of a bird as well. That is to say, no teeth at all/pseudo-teeth like ducks.
Snapper- extremely likely. Encyclopedia mentions that their "impressive beaks are lined with molars that begin halfway down the jaw and continue all the way to the back." This description also means that overcrowding is possible, if not likely.
Spiral- unlikely, but plausible. Like coatls, they resemble snakes, although to less of an extent, so their teeth structure is uncertain. Their diet of insects and meat can also mean that molars are a possibility, but not a probability.
Tundra- extremely likely. The encyclopedia mentions that the majority of their teeth are molars, and since they also "possess impressive canine teeth", this opens the possibility of overcrowding similar to that of humans.
Wildclaw- very unlikely. Their meat-based diet and design suggest a set of teeth very similar to a raptor's, which have no molars whatsoever.
you probably expected joke answers i'm so sorry
i was bored ok
also i'm tired so this probably doesn't make sense
@starblaziing i'm so glad i wasn't the only one compelled to answer this seriously. But yes, all of this! I also wanted to start pondering on the different breeds, since they so wildly vary, and thus probably have different teeth, but I would have probably written a novel by the time I was done. I'm glad someone got to it before I did. There's so many options here, and they're fun to think about.
listen i really like worldbuilding ok
listen i really like worldbuilding ok
@starblaziing i'm so glad i wasn't the only one compelled to answer this seriously. But yes, all of this! I also wanted to start pondering on the different breeds, since they so wildly vary, and thus probably have different teeth, but I would have probably written a novel by the time I was done. I'm glad someone got to it before I did. There's so many options here, and they're fun to think about.
listen i really like worldbuilding ok
listen i really like worldbuilding ok
[quote name="valensmonstrum" date=2017-07-10 23:17:28]
So, it probably depends! If the question is, "do dragons have wisdom teeth that get removed", my guess would be know, as I think we are the only mammal who struggles with wisdom teeth. Every other toothed mammal has them, including primates, but their jaws are large enough to accommodate them.
[/quote]
From what my school has taught me, this is correct! Human jaws have been getting smaller and smaller over time, and as it turns out that means it can fit less teeth. Just another case of our wonky anatomy causing trouble!
So I mean... in situations where a dragons' jaw size changes, possibly! Maybe in breed changes, depending on how gracefully they go?
valensmonstrum wrote on 2017-07-10:
So, it probably depends! If the question is, "do dragons have wisdom teeth that get removed", my guess would be know, as I think we are the only mammal who struggles with wisdom teeth. Every other toothed mammal has them, including primates, but their jaws are large enough to accommodate them.
From what my school has taught me, this is correct! Human jaws have been getting smaller and smaller over time, and as it turns out that means it can fit less teeth. Just another case of our wonky anatomy causing trouble!
So I mean... in situations where a dragons' jaw size changes, possibly! Maybe in breed changes, depending on how gracefully they go?
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@valensmonstrum
me too man, me too
I think that's part of what makes FR such a great place for lore; the ideas it introduces always have something to expand on or explain. I started writing my post before I saw yours, and I hadn't even thought about the fish part! Maybe it's because Guardians are so ambiguous as the only water breed, haha.
me too man, me too
I think that's part of what makes FR such a great place for lore; the ideas it introduces always have something to expand on or explain. I started writing my post before I saw yours, and I hadn't even thought about the fish part! Maybe it's because Guardians are so ambiguous as the only water breed, haha.
@valensmonstrum
me too man, me too
I think that's part of what makes FR such a great place for lore; the ideas it introduces always have something to expand on or explain. I started writing my post before I saw yours, and I hadn't even thought about the fish part! Maybe it's because Guardians are so ambiguous as the only water breed, haha.
me too man, me too
I think that's part of what makes FR such a great place for lore; the ideas it introduces always have something to expand on or explain. I started writing my post before I saw yours, and I hadn't even thought about the fish part! Maybe it's because Guardians are so ambiguous as the only water breed, haha.
@starblaziing
Maybe Ridgebacks have shark-like teeth, because their face resemble certain species with long nose and weird extendable(?) jaws.
EDIT: It's goblin shark
[img]http://www.squidtoons.com/uploads/2/2/5/9/22596580/5806709_orig.gif[/img]
@starblaziing
Maybe Ridgebacks have shark-like teeth, because their face resemble certain species with long nose and weird extendable(?) jaws.
EDIT: It's goblin shark
Maybe Ridgebacks have shark-like teeth, because their face resemble certain species with long nose and weird extendable(?) jaws.
EDIT: It's goblin shark
My username is MariLiLL | She/Her | FR +10
