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Dreams occur as a series of events inside our minds when we are not conscious, often during the stage known as rem sleep. Sometimes dreams are pleasant, but sometimes they are not.
People have always pondered the meaning behind dreams, they are often just our neural networks trying to make sense of what happened in the day. But have you ever had teeth falling out dream?
What Does a Teeth Falling Out Dream Mean?
Dream themes help dream analysts make sense of the sometimes nonsensical imagery you see in your dream. Joseph Campbell once said, “Myths are public dreams; dreams are private myths.”
This can be used to understand why many look to dreams for a sign or direction- the dreams with common themes such as falling from a height, being chased by a known or unknown entity, or being naked in public for no reason, all have very fantastical scenes- almost like they are a myth.
We are about to delve into a theme of dreams- teeth dreams, or simply TD, a ubiquitous dream category- occurring more often than you might think.
Many cultures believe that some common dream themes are symbolic manifestations, a sign, or bad omens about a person’s life and future. Many common interpretations point to dreams being indicators of significant life changes, in a good way or not.
Dreams about teeth falling, or simply a teeth dream, have been interpreted for a long time; we are talking going as far back as Ancient Greece.
Artemidorus personified the human mouth as a household. Each set of teeth had different meanings; the top teeth for essential individuals and the bottom teeth signify the opposite. And it is because he assigned them such placement.
He related losing teeth in a team to collecting debts. Later, in the Jewish Talmud, dreams, where teeth fall, had a darker significance. Teeth’s dreams were seen as a kind of prophecy to indicate the death of a family member.
This interpretation is one of the most common ones considered as far as teeth dreams are concerned. Let’s now check out the possible causes or interpretations for dreams about teeth falling out dreams!
1. Stress and Anxiety-Related
Dream researcher Deirdre Leigh Barrett feels that a dream about your teeth, specifically your teeth falling, is more often than not a subconscious response linked to anxiety 1by dream psychologists.
Teeth dreams, especially ones where teeth fall, could be a sign of psychological distress. This stress may not even need to be anything significant; it could just be a hard day at work or a presentation that you’re anxious about giving the next day.
Connecting and Communicating with Others
Teeth are directly related to communication because they are placed in the mouth, they play an important role whenever you talk to people.
Teeth dreams, therefore, could sometimes be interpreted that you had made a misstep in your waking life in terms of communication with the people around you.
2. Dental Irritation
Sleep bruxism, or the act of grinding one’s teeth in their sleep, is an underrated factor that many fail to consider when they research teeth dreams.
It is still unclear whether the grinding causes the imagery seen and felt in the dreams or if the teeth’ dreams lead to the grinding in the first place.
However, if the former is true, it is probably a good idea for someone to note your sleeping patterns to make sure you aren’t gnashing your teeth in your sleep.
Dental irritation or teeth tension, while you’re asleep, are some of the indicators of teeth grinding.
3. Psychological Interpretations
1. Feeling Insecure in Life
Teeth are often one of the first things noticed in a person. It is no wonder it has links to vanity; pearly whites are usually seen as a symbol of pride and something one always wants to show off. In other words, it is an asset which people are proud of having.
And when a person loses what they thought would be something that would always be with them, such as a loved one or a pet, it can make them feel very insecure and shaken up.
Thus, feeling insecure in life is a significant interpretation of tooth dreams wherein the dreamer feels a bit directionless and not confident about taking it further.
It is evident that if you lose something you consider symbolic of strength, you will feel powerless without it. For what is a person without their best assets?
2. Low Self-Confidence
It is evident that if our teeth were to fall while we were talking to someone suddenly or simply walking down the road, we would be aptly horrified- and our self-esteem would probably take a knocking as well.
One of the many interpretations of tooth dreams is closely linked to self-confidence.
While remembering that there are no physiological and psychological correlates- this means that teeth falling in your dream have no relation to what happens in real life.
But it is still essential to remember teeth falling out, even in a dream, would cause any person to feel insecure and their self-esteem to drop a bit.
3. Lack of Control in Life
This reason relates to the earlier one. Since teeth are most likely something that boosts vanity in a person, they probably would not want to lose them.
Being unprepared for scenarios such as losing all your teeth is directly linked to your fear of being unprepared to handle a particular challenge in life.
Dream analysts say that if the teeth falling in the dream occurs standing in front of a mirror, it might be because you are feeling cornered or powerless in any or all aspects of your life- like at home or in the workplace.
4. Vulnerability as Cause for Teeth Falling Out Dream
When one is not feeling most confident, they tend to be emotional and vulnerable, and this may, you guessed it, take on manifestations in their subconscious in the form of dreams.
Imagine giving an essential lecture or presentation of your life- when out of nowhere, you start to feel your teeth fall one by one to the cold hard ground. A scary thought, isn’t it?
And it is also the exact kind of thought and dream that would make a person feel the most vulnerable they’ve been. Dreams, wherein teeth crumble, are said to be linked with fear of old age, death, and vanity.
4. Worry About an Important Decision
When we are at a crossroads in life, or when we generally have to take a tough decision, the psychological distress often comes in the form of dreams. The theme might differ, but teeth falling out dreams right before you make a major life decision is pretty self-explanatory.
When you think of your teeth falling out, you think of chaos– something that was always there for you is now not cooperating with you.
This directly relates to your real life, where you start wondering if you will make the right choice, whether it will be a successful decision or one that will make you regret it sooner or later.
5. A Sense of Personal Loss
When we were young, we feared losing our baby teeth. And in our waking life, after our adult teeth grew in, we stopped having any worry or fear that our teeth would never come back.
Losing teeth, much like losing any other thing valuable to you, is bound to leave you a little shaken up. Dreams about teeth falling could indicate psychological distress about the sense of loss.
Have you lost anything recently? A pen, a favourite book? It could even be a subconscious form of your mind to grieve. Personal loss is one of the most common interpretations of teeth falling out in dreams.
6. An Indicator of Changes Ahead
You might wonder how dreams about your teeth would relate to some change in your life. But doesn’t it just make sense that such a dream would mean just that?
In the autumn season, leaves fall out of trees to give rise to the next season; isn’t that an example of falling giving rise to something new? While teeth falling out might not be as picturesque, it still has the same principle involved. The principle of rebirth – a positive rebirth.
Psychologist Carl Jung conducted research that concluded that teeth dreams could be symbolic of rebirth. This is one of the positive interpretations of teeth falling out in dreams.
While all the other interpretations see teeth falling as an inconvenience, an undesirable thing, this way of interpreting sees teeth falling as an example of necessary change- something that has to occur for better things ahead.
But one must remember that even though these are positive events, they are still a shift from the ordinary, and therefore our mind treats them as changes, regardless of what kind. And hence the manifestation in your subconscious in the form of teeth falling out.
7. Life Events: Did it Happen to you Recently?
This might be one of the more obvious reasons, but usually, dreams are closely linked to real life. Even though it is not one of the typical dream themes, it would make more sense if teeth dreams were caused by an incident in your life recently.
See someone’s tooth chip off? Did you have a minor accident of your own? Or maybe it was that disgusting tooth surgery video your friend made you watch.
It is also a possibility that if you recently had a traumatic experience regarding teeth falling out, or something similar, your dreams would likely involve more teeth falling out, in ways similar or different to the first.
Or it could be a childhood incident related to a tooth falling or breaking, which still impacts you profoundly as an adult.
Whatever it may be, teeth dreams may also be due to this simple reason- that you saw tooth-related scenarios in real life!
8. Teeth Falling Out of Dream Indicating Death
Taking care of one’s teeth is a very delicate process. This is why when you don’t take care of them for a long time, problems tend to develop- ones that are almost as irreversible as death, indicated by teeth falling out dream. Proper brushing followed by flossing is essential- ask your dentist.
Dream analysts have theories formulated by these cultures wherein dreams that involve teeth falling out indicate the impending death of a loved one; or old age.
Megan Harrison, a marriage therapist from Florida, thinks that teeth dreams are a symbolic warning that one is neglecting the health of a family member or friend.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can dreams tell the future?
There is currently little scientific proof that dreams may predict the future, and since every human body is different, several analogies exist.
2. Do bad dreams come true if you remember them?
There is no evidence that a dream is likely to come real simply because you recall it vividly. It surely can happen, yes, but there’s no guarantee.
3. Why do teeth falling out dream feel so real?
Real kinds of dreams happen when cerebral activity is elevated throughout the REM – Rapid 2Eye Movement phase of our sleep cycle.
Enhanced circulation to the cerebral cortex at the rear of your brain boosts functioning during this phase of sleep, providing us greater clarity and realistic-looking dreams than usual.
Conclusion: Teeth Falling Out Dream
Thus, teeth dreams are one of the many themes seen by dreamers worldwide, just like teeth falling out dream, there are many. Dream analysts and psychologists have tried to interpret them, and here are just a few of the possibilities as to what your dream about teeth falling could mean:
Sometimes, even feelings of jealousy can lead to delusion dreams like your teeth falling out. So, it is not always stress, anxiety, or something major.
It could mean anything, you just have to figure it out yourself. And if you are not able to do so, you can consult a doctor or a sleep therapist.
We hope you found this article helpful in interpreting your teeth dream!
- Knowles, Kelly A., and Bunmi O. Olatunji. “Specificity of trait anxiety in anxiety and depression: Meta-analysis of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.” Clinical psychology review 82 (2020): 101928. ↩︎
- Knoop, Marit S., Eline R. de Groot, and Jeroen Dudink. “Current ideas about the roles of rapid eye movement and non–rapid eye movement sleep in brain development.” Acta Paediatrica 110.1 (2021): 36-44. ↩︎
Last Updated on by Sathi Chakraborty, MSc Biology