What It Really Means When You Dream About Losing Your Teeth

You're about to give a presentation in front of the class or your colleagues at work, and all of a sudden your teeth start falling out. You can't get the words out and people are looking at you with shock and horror. Then you spring up in bed, realizing it was just a nightmare. If you've had a dream like this, you're not alone. According to therapist and dream analyst, Jane Teresa Anderson, this is a common theme people dream about. But why do we all seem to have this nightmare and what does it mean?

Anderson told Cosmopolitan many of us have this dream because we remember what it was like to lose our teeth as children. "During those childhood years, we may experience all sorts of worries and concerns, perhaps being teased about having gaps in our smile, perhaps losing our confidence," she said. Essentially, these feelings of anxiety are now manifesting in our sleep. 

However, this type of dream can have different meanings depending on what you're going through in your waking life. Dream expert to the stars, Lauri Loewenberg confirmed this idea. "Dreams involving the mouth or throat area are most often connected to communication issues in waking life," she told Cosmopolitan. "When your teeth fall out in a dream, it is usually because you have said something without thinking about it first." In this case, your teeth falling out could be representing your tendency to have loose lips.

According to Healthline, there are a variety of reasons you could be having a dream your teeth are falling out, ranging from stress related to upcoming major changes in your life, to feelings of extreme guilt, to jealousy of someone. If you have this shocking nightmare, Anderson recommends examining if you feel you're missing something in your waking life, or if you're feeling a lack of confidence. "Our dreams are unique," she explained. "While millions of people may dream about their teeth falling out, it's the other details in the dream that help pinpoint the exact interpretation." 

To ultimately understand the meaning of this dream, Anderson said it's important to think about how you felt when your teeth fell out. This reflection will help you to diagnose the meaning. However, if this is a recurring dental nightmare and you want it to stop, she explains the dream might be trying to tell you something deeper about yourself. "Recurring dreams are often connected to an ongoing issue (the dream continues until the issue is resolved) or they can be connected to a recurring behavior pattern that needs correcting: Every time you exhibit the behavior, you have the dream," Loewenberg said.

So addressing issues in your waking life, could be the key to rid yourself of the dream about losing your teeth, and get back to blissful sleep.