Why Do We Have Nightmares About Our Teeth?

Of all the dreams and nightmares you may have throughout your lifetime, there are a few just about everyone in the world can relate to. One of the most common repeating dreams the people have which are pleasant involve flight. Less pleasant ones involve falling, and of course losing teeth. Many people report dreams of tooth loss, so today we will talk about how to interpret these dreams, and what you can do to not have them.

Experts debate the exact meaning of dreams. Another debate is what the function of them. Some believe they are a natural biological process and nothing more. Others believe that dreams are key to understanding consciousness and the subconscious.

However, if you have nightmares about losing your teeth, especially if they are repeated, then there are several interpretations. 

Stress and Anxiety

Stress makes us weaker. It hurts the body and can lead to unhealthy coping habits. Not only that, but stress has a profound mental impact. All of stress’s negative effects are exacerbated when the stress is constant and severe. Dreams of tooth loss are certainly more likely if you are under more stress than usual.

Anxiety is a long-term condition in which you experience excessive worrying. This worrying can involve your life, such as work, partnership/marriage, family, and more. It can also involve your mental and physical health. Often, it will bleed from one of those categories (mental/physical health, life situation) to another. When anxiety involves your perception of your physical health, dreams of losing that physical health often follow. These dreams can involve injury, and of course, tooth loss.

Depression

Depression comes from long-term feelings of hopelessness, grief, guilt, and loneliness. People with depression often have a hard time coming out of it because they don’t know why it is being caused, and don’t understand why they can’t escape the feeling. 

When you are depressed, it’s common to also imagine your physical being falling apart. A part of that is the mental image of your teeth falling out.

Life changes

If major changes are happening in your life, it causes stress and anxiety. Even if these changes are positive, such as a marriage or a new job. Somewhere, in the back of an anxious mind, there is worry that things will go wrong. As this worry spreads to other areas (at least in your subconscious), you can experience dreams of tooth loss, general loss, and physical decay.

Others missing teeth in your life

When you see someone missing teeth, it makes a mental impression. Whether it’s someone  you know closely, or someone you see only in passing, you may not notice very much, but your brain does. Feelings of projection can lead you to see others missing teeth and then dream of yourself without teeth or losing your own. 

Additionally, you may experience dreams of others losing teeth. These could be related to injury, natural childhood teeth loss, or some form of worry you feel for other people.

Grinding/breaking your teeth

If you have recently had an injury involving tooth loss, dreams of it are all too common. Just as any injury will lead to dreams of similar problems, losing teeth is no different. As you dream, your tongue will also feel the broken teeth in your mouth, affecting your subconscious. This can exacerbate tooth loss dreams.

Grinding your teeth in your sleep has a similar effect. As you feel the teeth grinding in your sleep, you may have dreams of losing them. A feedback loop can also be created where grinding your teeth leads to dreams of tooth loss, and dreams of tooth loss lead to tooth grinding. 

Loss

If you are going through a large personal loss in your life, dreams of tooth loss can follow. Major loss includes a loved one, a death of a friend/family member, loss of a job, loss of a home, or anything that makes a profound impact on your life. Feelings of loss, or other major feelings come through in your dreams. These can lead to dreams of losing limbs, people, things, and of course teeth. 

Poor oral health

Poor oral health is linked to a vast array of other medical problems. Heart disease, diabetes, and of course mental health are all affected by having poor oral health. If you worry about your oral health, your odds of having tooth loss dreams increase significantly. 

On top of poor oral health, tooth loss dreams are generally regarded as a sign of health worries. If you are worried for any major aspect of your health, tooth loss dreams are more likely to occur.

Keep your teeth healthy, in your dreams and in real life

If you are worried about losing teeth in dreams and reality, then we can definitely help you out. Josey Lane Dentistry is happy to provide advice on oral health as well as preventative, restorative, general, and surgical dentistry services. We have nearly two decades of experience serving the Carrollton Texas community, and we would be happy to help you in any way that we can. One of the best ways to avoid bad dreams about your teeth is to keep your teeth as healthy as possible. Contact us today and we can help make your teeth healthy in daily life and in sleep.