While the classic teeth falling out dream may be super common, it’s still a VERY jarring thing to wake up from the first time you have it. The first time I woke up from a teeth falling out dream, I was shook. I never pay much attention to my teeth (thank you modern dentistry for that luxury, for real), so being jolted awake by the fear that all my teeth fell out was… unsettling to say the least.

However, I was thankfully able to take comfort in the fact that this is a very common dream. In fact, according to an analysis of the most Googled dreams worldwide, Americans (and some other countries) most commonly searched for the meanings of the classic teeth falling out dream. So, at least there’s some relief in the fact that I am not alone in this hyper-specific, strange, strange dream.

But, how can you tell what this dream means for you? Is it the same meaning for everyone? Maybe. For a start, dream analyst Lauri Loewenberg, author of Dream on It: Unlock Your Dreams, Change Your Life, says that in order to fully interpret any dream, you should also be attuned to how you feel about the dream once you wake up. “Dreams are pretty much our built-in GPS, guiding us and navigating us through life.”

“Dreams are pretty much our built-in GPS, guiding us and navigating us through life.” —Lauri Loewenberg, dream analyst, author of Dream on It: Unlock Your Dreams, Change Your Life

For more on exactly what that means and more, we spoke to the experts, who covered everything from what the dream could mean, why you might have it, and variations of this common dream. And if you’re in the mood to read about how to have good dreams and more on recurring dreams, we’ve got you covered as well.

How to figure out what a dream about teeth falling out means for you

If experiencing a dream where your teeth are falling out makes you honestly wish you just didn’t have dreams, or freaks you out to the point where your sleeping heart rate soars, know that it’s important to consider the context of any dream before taking a deep dive into its potential significance.

According to astrologer and dream interpreter Stephanie Gailing, author of The Complete Book of Dreams, two people could have the same dream and experience different responses within the dream or afterward—which would affect its potential meaning. “You might have been laughing, and I might have been in horror,” she says.

Tuning into additional context in a dream about teeth falling out can help you better understand its meaning for you (even if you can’t necessarily control your behavior in the dream, as in lucid dreaming). For example, are you pulling your teeth right out in the dream, or are you making a beeline to the closest subconscious dentist? The former might reflect a sense of agency or action (or loss thereof), and the latter, a feeling of fear or a concern about your looks.

Possible meanings of a dream where your teeth are falling out

1. Fear of aging

When you consider how the process of losing your baby teeth is often the first time many of us begin to consciously think of our teeth, a dream where your teeth fall out as symbolism for your fear of aging makes a lot of sense. “Losing teeth could symbolize the anxiety of getting older and the physical decline that comes with it,” says Julia Siemen, certified sleep science coach at Sleep Advisor.

2. Financial worries

Another possible interpretation of this dream could be centered around personal financial worries, as you might be anxious about losing something valuable, like teeth, Siemen also explains.

3. Unresolved emotional issues

The idea of losing your smile and your teeth could also be tied to feelings of unresolved emotional issues, Siemen also adds, as these “feelings of vulnerability can also be a factor, reflecting insecurities deep down.”

4. Economic worries

While personal financial worries could also be a meaning behind a teeth falling out dream, Carlie Gasia, a certified sleep science coach at Sleep Advisor, also notes that this dream may be tied to a broader sense of economic worry, which can totally make sense. For anyone who grew up during the recession, had their careers touched by it, or watched their family suffer during the recession, you may know how personally larger economic worries can trickle down into your day-to-day life.

5. Transitioning in life

Another interpretation of a dream about teeth falling out could reflect someone moving onto a new phase of their life, explains psychologist Carder Stout, PhD, MFT. “You are moving from one phase to the next, as we do when our teeth fall out,” explains Dr. Stout.

Dr. Stout also adds that “losing our teeth is a rite of passage, different from other transitions we experience as human beings. It is something that brings us joy in the early stages of life and makes us confront our fragility in the latter stages,” Teeth (and the loss of them) take us from childhood to adulthood to our elderly years, so it’s only natural that a dream about the loss of them might symbolize moving onto new chapters.

6. Grief or loss

“To many people, your teeth are one of the most important features to your physical appearance,” says sleep scientist Daniel Gartenberg, PhD, sleep health advisor at CPAP.com. Therefore, “When an individual is experiencing the recent loss of a loved one, the dream of losing your teeth may symbolize the loss of the most important aspect within their life,” Dr. Gartenberg explains.

This grief may also be about life events and doesn’t necessarily have to be around people, either, as Dr. Gartenberg also notes that this could be about the loss of a major opportunity, as well.

7. Rebirth and transformation

When kids lose a tooth, they’re making room for another, hopefully stronger, tooth to grow. Having a dream where your teeth are falling out, then, might signal that you’re releasing the old to welcome the new, says Gailing.

8. Loss of control

Teeth are an essential part of the body for such fundamental human behaviors as chewing, eating, and speaking. Without them, you lose autonomy over all of the above. That’s why Gailing says that having a dream where your teeth fall out might indicate that you feel like you’re losing a grip in your waking life.

9. Concern about public image

“Imagine a dream where you’re about to go on a date or do a job interview, and your teeth are falling out,” says Gailing. Here, it’s likely that you’re concerned about how your date or interviewer will see you if you have missing teeth, Gailing explains.

It’s also possible that teeth falling out in a dream could reflect you having said something without thinking first, adds Loewenberg, which could also signal that you’re worried about how you’re being perceived by others.

Common variations of the teeth falling out dream

1. Your teeth are crumbling

If you notice that your teeth are crumbling and actively breaking apart when you try to bite into something in your dream, this could refer to feelings about a transition you are making and the fact that the foundations of your life feel unstable, says Dr. Stout.

2. You realize something is wrong with your teeth so you start taking matters into your own hands

In this dream, you notice your teeth are loose or falling out to the point that you start pulling them out yourself. “This refers to your uncertainty about moving forward with something and feeling that you are the instigator of this uncomfortable change,” says Dr. Stout.

3. You look in the mirror to discover your teeth are already gone

This could be interpreted as a transition having already happened, with you feeling caught up in it without the ability to control the environment, Dr. Stout explains.

4. You try to jam your falling teeth back into your mouth

Wishing you hadn’t said something in real life might take the dream form of you trying to jam your falling teeth back into your mouth, says Loewenberg. This can be interpreted as wanting to take back something you may have said.

“A common thought pattern is, ‘Oh, my God—I’m going to look like hell without my teeth,’ which is connected to the waking-life concern of how you may look now that you’ve said something [unideal],” says Loewenberg. Even if you’re not exactly concerned about how you’ll look physically, you may have concerns about how others will perceive you.

5. You notice that a lot of your teeth are falling out

If a lot of your teeth are falling out, and in that dream, you get the sense that this shouldn’t be happening, that might mean that you talk about others more than you know you should or that you’re gossiping. In this case, says Loewenberg, your subconscious is “reprimanding you” and asking why you let certain information out of your mouth. It’s likely that the more teeth that are falling out, the more you’ve said that you should’ve kept to yourself, she adds.

6. You try to fix your smile after your teeth fall out

If your teeth falling out in a dream prompts thoughts about how you can fix your smile, you might be looking to repair a situation or relationship in your daily life. “If you’re thinking, ‘How am I going to get my teeth fixed?,’ that could be connected to a real-life concern about how you’ll double-back on a mistake or remedy a problem,” says Loewenberg.

7. You struggle to hold several loose teeth in place

In this dream, your teeth are loose, and you’re trying all you can to hold them in place. They haven’t exactly fallen out yet, but they’re dangerously close to doing so. Loewenberg says that this dream might indicate that you can resolve an issue in your waking life if you “keep your mouth shut long enough.”

FAQs

Why is it so common for people to have a teeth falling out dream?

“It’s common for people to have dreams about losing their teeth because teeth are a universal symbol of health, appearance, and the ability to communicate,” says Siemen. “Teeth are needed for survival and social interaction, so losing them can trigger deep fears related to survival, self-image, and communication,” she adds.

What do teeth symbolize in dreams?

Teeth don’t hold one specific meaning, so their presence in a dream can have many interpretations. Because they’re the first step in digestion and help us break food into manageable bites, they can symbolize the ability to have agency or discernment, or the capacity for transformation, says Gailing.

Separately, she adds that teeth can also symbolize how someone wants to appear to others, and that they’re associated with the stages of life and aging.

What does it mean to dream about your front tooth chipping?

The front teeth often symbolize your ability to be forthright about something, says Loewenberg, so a chipped front tooth in a dream or pieces of tooth falling out could mean that there’s something on your mind that you need to express, but that you’re holding back because you’re afraid of the consequences of doing so.

A dream that includes a front tooth chipping could also mean that “perhaps you did speak up about [something controversial] and now have a concern about how you’ll appear to others,” says Loewenberg. “Or, you may feel like you didn’t make your point strongly enough because a chipped tooth is also a weakened tooth.”

Is it good luck to dream about your teeth falling out?

According to Gailing, dreaming about your teeth falling out isn’t likely an indicator of luck. It may mean that you’re doubting your ability to manage your life or that circumstances are changing beyond your ability to manage them. Change can certainly signal growth and a more positive outcome down the line, but in the meantime, teeth falling out in a dream is more likely to symbolize a loss of control than it is luck.