Teeth Falling Out in a Dream and What it Could Mean

Welcome back to the dream series! We’re examining a few common types of dreams and what they might mean. So get out your journals and pens, it’s time to record some dreams!

If you’re the type of person who forgets their dreams almost as soon as they wake, then check out our first article, which details a few habits to help you remember your dreams longer and record them more accurately. Also be aware that how you feel within the dream, and not just strictly the content, is key to interpreting dreams.

Now, let’s get to the juicy stuff. Teeth dreams!

This strangely-specific dream is, somehow, one of the most popular dream topics – it’s estimated that 39% of the population has had a dream about losing their teeth or their teeth deteriorating in some way.

First potential meaning: something’s going on with your teeth while you sleep.

Some experts posit that teeth dreams are a sign that the brain is incorporating physical stimuli into dreams, like the brain sometimes does to alarm sounds or other ambient noise. In an investigation completed at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel, preliminary findings showed a positive correlation between dental irritation and the prevalence of teeth dreams in a study of 210 undergraduates.

So if you have dreams about your teeth falling out, there’s a chance that something physical is affecting your teeth while you sleep, even if you’re not always aware of it. But if you ARE aware of it, such as waking up with tooth pain or other abnormal dental sensations, you might want to take some precautions or get some solutions from a medical professional.

But what if your pearly whites are just fine? Then you look to other explanations, chief of which is anxiety.

The possible meanings for such a dream are wide-ranging and, according to Dr. Jeffrey Bennett, psychoanalyst and associate professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas in an article for Psych Central, usually “context-dependent rather than fixed”, meaning that the context of the dream and how you felt during the dream is as important as the content.

If you feel anxious or stressed during the dream, then perhaps the dream is just that – a manifestation of anxiety. Working on the root of your anxiety during your waking hours might help you understand why the feelings manifested in this dream image.

Some other potential meanings listed by Psych Central included:

communication style, fear of saying the wrong thing, or feeling guilty about bad-mouthing someone
grief about a loved one’s health or death and potential guilt about neglecting that person
loss of control due to major life changes, feelings of failure, uncertainty, etc.
a more negative self-image, such as a fear of aging or a fear of losing prestige

If any of those reasons resonate with you, then explore that a little deeper. If the reasons for your anxiety seem to elude you, then a therapist or counselor will be able to help.