Do you ever have dreams about your teeth falling out? Believe it or not, you’re not alone. Teeth-related nightmares are extremely common—in fact, about 2 in 5 people say they’ve had these dreams at some point, and some say these are recurring dreams for them.

Since these dreams seem to be common across the board, mental health experts have tried to figure out what they really mean. Initially, they were linked to anxiety, stress, and a loss of control. This theory still stands; however, by about 2000, psychoanalysts also started exploring the connection between teeth dreams and teeth clenching and grinding. (Sigmund Freud and some other psychoanalysts did put this hypothesis forward in 1900, but the correlation wasn’t properly explored until much later.)

Fast forward to today, experts are still debating what causes teeth-related nightmares, and several viable theories are being explored. However, one thing is clear; those with bruxism seem to have these dreams more often. At the same time, it seems that such dreams also cause tension in the teeth and jaws—so they could be the ones causing bruxism in the first place.

In short, the connection between bruxism and teeth dreams is well-established; however, further exploration into this connection is required. Here’s what we know so far.

What Is Bruxism

Bruxism is a common condition experienced by many people. It’s basically when you involuntarily and unconsciously grind or gnash your teeth or clench your jaw. Some people experience this while they sleep, while many others may even experience something called awake bruxism, i.e., they grind their teeth during their waking hours—still unconsciously.

While both types of bruxism are very common, in this article, we’ll be exploring sleep bruxism, which is largely thought of as a movement disorder related to sleep. It’s often linked to things like stress, sleep positions, dental alignment, sleep apnea, and other related problems.

Generally, bruxism or dreams related to bruxism aren’t that much of a problem, especially if you experience mild bruxism. However, given the kind of causes it has, and the long-term effects it might display, bruxism shouldn’t be left unchecked.

Since teeth-related dreams may be both a cause and effect of bruxism, if you have such dreams, it’s definitely worth exploring them further.

What Are Teeth Grinding Dreams

Many people have teeth dreams or rather nightmares that can leave a lasting impact. In such dreams, you might see many things happening to your teeth. Most commonly, it’s teeth loss or teeth becoming loose. For some people, it’s worse than falling teeth, though; it’s crumbling teeth, which is definitely more uncomfortable.

Some people also have teeth-grinding or gnashing nightmares, and such dreams may actually make them grind their teeth for real while they sleep. What’s interesting, though, is that teeth-grinding nightmares are pretty common, and so is bruxism.

What Might Be Causing Your Teeth-Related Nightmares

In many cases, teeth dreams or nightmares are directly linked to dental irritation. Here are a few types of dental irritations worth exploring, including bruxism.

Bruxism

If you experience sleep bruxism, you may have a lot of dreams about teeth grinding. On the other hand, bruxism may often be caused due to the stress caused by teeth loss or teeth-grinding dreams. In short, the two are definitely interrelated.

Losing Baby Teeth

Many young children also experience bruxism and have teeth-related nightmares. This adds up because children typically lose their baby teeth in their initial years and face the typical discomfort of growing new teeth. This can lead to them having anxiety-ridden dreams about the whole experience.

Teeth Falling Out

As we get older, we experience our teeth getting weaker and falling. This could also be an effect of bruxism since bruxism does result in enamel loss that causes our teeth to get weaker and fall down. This can be a scary and painful experience, and when our mind is trying to process it, we may have dreams about the whole experience.

These are the most common explanations for your teeth’ dreams, but other causes may explain them. These explanations are also more or less linked to bruxism:

Taking A lot of Stress

If you’re taking a lot of stress on a daily basis and have constant fear and anxiety, it will affect you, even when you’re asleep. Not only will you have teeth-grinding nightmares, but you’ll probably also have a lot of muscle tension, with usually extends to your jaws and cause clenching.

Experiencing Major Life Changes

Sometimes, life changes can trigger anxiety-ridden dreams, including those linked to teeth grinding. This happens mostly because of stress related to the life change or because of a new sleep schedule.

What Can You Do to Counter Your Teeth Grinding Dreams

If you know for sure that your teeth-grinding dreams are linked to bruxism, the best way to go about this is to address your teeth-grinding. It’s also worth keeping in mind that dreams have both physiological and psychological basis, and therefore you must address the causes linked to both.

So, for instance, you will be addressing your teeth grinding, but you also have to work on the stress that may be causing the teeth nightmares and bruxism.

One way to take care of both is to use teeth-grinding guards. These may not stop you from grinding your teeth, but they will help reduce the side effects of bruxism for you, including the teeth-grinding nightmares. Moreover, you’ll feel less stressed when you know your teeth are protected, and you will sleep better too. This will also lead to fewer teeth-related dreams overall!

So, are you ready to get night guard for teeth grinding? Make sure to get custom made night guards only. They’re much more effective and comfortable. You can find some excellent ones at Clear Comfort Night Guards. They’re designed for different types of teeth grinders, including teeth grinding guard and hard ones for heavy teeth grinders.

Check it all out!

About The Author

The author is a dental technician with over 35 years of industry experience. They have worked in several dental labs across the country and are known for their precision in creating high-quality dental guards. They also like to share their knowledge and valuable insights with aspiring dental professionals through online articles and other publications.