In Your Dreams

What Your Teeth Falling Out Dream Really Means

We asked psychologists what's behind these freaky nightmares. 
Teeth dream
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Waking up in a panic to check that your teeth are still intact is probably not how you intended to start your day. The teeth falling out dream is terrifying—and also surprisingly common. “Thirty-nine percent of people report that they've had such a dream at least once,” says Deirdre Barrett, an assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School. Turns out, these dental dreams also tend to be recurring: Out of those who reported dreaming about teeth, 16.2% said they experienced them as a recurrent dream while 8.2% had them regularly. 

Curious what the science behind a teeth falling out dream is and if there's any hidden meaning behind losing your teeth? Losing your teeth is not the sexiest dream nor is it as terrifying as dreams about death but they can still leave you thinking about them for hours after you wake up. While scientists are not in the business of dream interpretation, they are steadily working to unearth the physiological reason behind our most vivid dreams. 

Barrett rejects the notion that there's a one-size-fits-all when it comes to teeth dreams. “Each dreamer knows best what a symbol means to them and helpful questioning—even of yourself—is the best way to get at interpretations.” Journaling is a great way to identify and reflect on the flurry of thoughts going on inside your head. While your dream about teeth rotting and falling to the ground may not mean the same as your friend's or your mother's, it can help you gain a better understanding of how you view your body, what's a source of stress or tension in your life, and what values are important to you. 

Here's what your teeth falling out dreams might mean. 

1. You're grinding your teeth. 

When it comes to dreams about teeth, many point to dental irritation. A recent study published in 2018 looking at the correlation between teeth tension and having a dental dream found that those experiencing sleep bruxism—a sleep disorder that causes people to experience episodes of teeth grinding while they sleep—did in fact have more toothy night visions.  Unlike regular teeth grinding which happens nonstop, sleep bruxism takes place on and off and can lead to waking up with a sore neck and jaw. 

2. You're stressed. 

Unsurprisingly, the culprit behind these uncomfortable types of dreams is our fave duo: stress and anxiety. When we're experiencing strain in our mental health, our bodies will often send out a signal as a response. “Clenching the teeth when facing negative situations is a common reaction, and that can carry over to episodes of sleep bruxism,” according to the Sleep Foundation, "teeth grinding is also believed to be connected to higher levels of anxiety."

If your latest dream about a mouth sans those pearly whites paid a visit over the last few weeks, it could be your mind and body continuing to process what has been a year like no other. 

3. You're thinking about your childhood. 

If you're going to branch out into interpretation, Barrett suggests you start with figuring out what the main elements in the dream are and how you feel about them. “Someone might associate losing their teeth to childhood and the tooth fairy,” she says. If you're thinking about the tooth fairy after a teeth dream, Barrett suggests thinking about any similarities or relation to what's happening in your life today vs. when you lost your baby teeth. Maybe you moved back in with your parents over lockdown—losing your teeth in a dream could be your mind processing your feelings about being back in your childhood bedroom. 

4. You're worried about nourishment. 

Your dreams of teeth might be related to how you're feeling about nourishment and your access to it. Literally speaking, “we need our teeth to get food,” says Barrett. How you define nourishment could be literal—Is food security weighing on your mind?—or more metaphorical, as in, Do you feel like your wellbeing is being fed? 

5. You're thinking about aging. 

We often view losing our teeth as a side effect of getting older so this dream could also reflect a fear of aging. This can trigger a lot of deeply held beliefs about beauty and any insecurities: “one might think losing your teeth would be losing your sex appeal because they believe we need a full set of healthy teeth to look appealing,” says Barrett.