How Your Teeth Reveal Your Genetic Heritage

Believe it or not, we all don’t have the same teeth. This is something Spokane Valley dentist spending their working hours looking at all kinds of teeth will attest. Most people don’t know that the shape and structure of their teeth is very much different from the next person. Some traits, like shovel teeth, are inherited and can even serve as population specific genetic markers. Meaning, if you are from a certain population, or descended from this group, you’ll inherit distinct traits such as shovel shaped teeth.

Shovel Teeth

Shovel teeth doesn’t look as bad as they sound. If you run your tongue against the back of your upper front teeth, notice if they’re flat or curved. If the tooth is curved at the back, you have shovel teeth. Not everybody has this. Shovel teeth is a mutation carried by a gene called EDAR or Ectodysplasin receptor EDARV370A. A host of other traits are associated with this gene including thick hair follicles and small breasts. But these other traits are not as apparent or reliable as shovel teeth. You can have fine hair, large breasts and still have shovel teeth.

Where Does Shovel Teeth Come From?

Nearly everybody in East Asia has shovel teeth. It’s so normal in that part of the world that people with straight teeth will look odd to a dentist practicing in East Asia. Other populations originally from Asia also have this trait, such as many Native American groups. Shovel teeth is less common in populations with origins in Africa and Europe.