Chapter 4 - Teeth

Shubin says that teeth help us figure out the diet of an animal; as a teenager, it tells my parents when I’ve been eating too much sugar or not been wearing my retainer. For me, the beginning of the chapter was like a review to me. I already knew this information about teeth from when I was younger and all the lectures my dentist has given me. When he talked about finding his first tooth, I saw it in my head like a movie; a tooth with the light from the sun reflecting off of it and gospel music in the background. It seemed like a “hallelujah” moment for me. When he was talking about how small some of those animals were, I couldn't really believe that something that small could exist. And then I thought of how hard it would be to find those fossils, and I started to feel for him. I can't even imagine how much determination and hard work he had to go through to find those tiny fossils in a bunch of dirt and rocks. I give props to all of the people who dig for fossils, its obvious now that its not fun and games and it takes a lot of time and effort.

For me, I've always thought of teeth to be a pain and rat me out to my parents when I get cavities. But now I'm grateful for my teeth, because without them I wouldn't be able to stuff my mouth with large portions of food and swallow. This book has made me realize how useful everything I think is pointless really is and how without it I'd be helpless.