The wisdom of wisdom teeth?

Do you wonder, as I sometimes do, how things got their names?  For instance, our teeth.  Molars?  What?  Those teeth don't appear to be mole-like.  Canines?  Hmm...those teeth don't appear to be descended from dogs.  I don't feel compelled to gnaw on a Milk Bone simply because I have a fine set of canines.  And wisdom teeth?  Wisdom?  As defined by dictionary.com, wisdom means the quality or state of being wise, sagacity, discernment or insight.

Apparently, if I apply that definition to my wisdom teeth, or the fact that I have no wisdom teeth, then I lack discernment or insight.  I'm not buying it.  I cannot understand why wisdom teeth are called what they are.  I'm quite certain that CAL would agree with me as well, since she had four, count 'em, all FOUR of her wisdom teeth removed yesterday.  Three of them were impacted.  Good, good times for her.

She came home with the lovely head wrap featured in the picture above.  She is currently not allowing photos of her in this condition to be taken or published.  A certain member of the House of Representatives from New York could learn a thing or two from my daughter's decision to NOT let photos out of her sphere of influence.  But I digress....CAL is mighty swollen and looking like a little worse for wear tonight.  She's got her mother's incredibly high pain threshold though.  Man, she's tough! I can't imagine holding up as well as she is.  I really do not have any wisdom teeth so this is one I can't even say, "Oh honey, I know what you're going through.  It'll get better."  I'm not even going to try and sell her that line.  She's too smart for that.  Even without her 'wisdom' teeth, she's still too smart for that.

So, I see little wisdom in the wisdom of calling them 'wisdom teeth.'  As far as I'm concerned, there is none.  Surely, they could have come up with a better name.  But I guess calling them what they are - "Teeth that you don't need, that will only bring you pain, and empty your parents' wallet" - was a bit too long of a descriptor.