Do most cultures experience falling-out-teeth nightmares

May 22, 2017 1:57 PM

That's the question.

Thee query is occasioned by the fact that last week I'd read an essay about an U.S. guy having this nightmare, and a few nights ago I had this nightmare, and I know I've read other references to this nightmare, but I had this exchange with my perio resident, who has mad dental knowledge but isn't from the U.S.

Me: Hey doc, why do people have nightmares about their teeth falling out?
[Doc gives me an evaluating-for-mental-illness-look]
Me: You know, how people have nightmares about their teeth falling out?
American student assisting: OMG I had that nightmare two weeks ago [begins to gush to doctor about how her #20 tooth fell out and then she ran around the clinic looking for doctor so and so and then her other teeth began falling out]
Doc: [as the student pauses for breath] This is very long story. [shakes her head bewildered]

So folks? Do French people have this nightmare? Chinese? Is it some uniquely U.S. thing?

posted by angrycat to Grab Bag (20 answers total)

Best answer: New Zealander​ here. I definitely have them. I've been told it's related to anxiety?
posted by teststrip at 2:26 PM on May 22, 2017 [1 favorite]

Best answer: The Universality of Typical Dreams: Japanese vs. Americans shows the rates for Japanese and Americans are similar: about 21% for Americans and 16% for Japanese.

Looks like the largest difference was for being inappropriately dressed:46% for Americans, 23% for Japanese.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 2:26 PM on May 22, 2017 [12 favorites]

Best answer: Australian, and I have teeth falling out dreams on average of once a month. Definitely anxiety related.
posted by arha at 2:48 PM on May 22, 2017 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I live in the US but grew up India and have those dreams. Most recently just before an important exam.
posted by peacheater at 2:53 PM on May 22, 2017

Best answer: I had my first teeth falling out dream a few days ago, which is about 22 years after I moved to the US from China.
posted by batter_my_heart at 3:41 PM on May 22, 2017

Best answer: I've had Oh Shit my Are Teeth Falling Out dreams semi-regularly since at least 1991. Sometimes, during one of these dreams, I think, 'Oh god, I've dreamt this so many times AND NOW IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING FOR REAL!' I'm Australian.
posted by EXISTENZ IS PAUSED at 3:59 PM on May 22, 2017 [15 favorites]

Best answer: My armchair theory is that the phenomenon of these dreams is related to the fact that all humans' teeth do fall out in childhood. It is a universal experience. If having these dreams is a sign of anxiety as many think (for me, personally, the occurrence of these dreams doesn't seem to be anxiety related per se, but more about going through change) I think it must relate to some fundamental existential anxiety we experience at that stage of development. That stage of development comes with being able to form ones own opinions separate from caretakers, understand death to a greater degree, growing autonomy, choosing friends based on interests rather than proximity, and start to conceptualize and be able to think about the future. So maybe events in ones life that relate to anxieties of these types of processes is represented by the dream of teeth falling out.
posted by Waiting for Pierce Inverarity at 4:09 PM on May 22, 2017 [6 favorites]

Mod note: Couple comments deleted -- sorry, it's still AskMe, so please keep answers focused on non-USA countries, rather than general speculation about these dreams.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 6:05 PM on May 22, 2017

Best answer: Never had one and never heard anyone else mention one (I'm American, but widely traveled)
posted by mkuhnell at 6:06 PM on May 22, 2017

Best answer: Anecdata, but I've definitely had several conversations with various British friends about those dreams. So it exists in the UK.
posted by cpatterson at 6:12 PM on May 22, 2017

Best answer: I've had this dream many times; I was born and raised in Canada.
posted by emeiji at 9:48 PM on May 22, 2017

Best answer: It literally represents concern about "losing face" hence the connection to anxiety.

I definitely have them (American) and have talked to several other Americans and Brits that have had the same dream.
posted by susiswimmer at 10:29 PM on May 22, 2017

Best answer: My experience as a dentist who routinely treats grinding would indicate that in any culture that experiences stress this would be a likely occurrence.
posted by OHenryPacey at 10:48 PM on May 22, 2017 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I don't know if this is useful or not, but http://www.teethfallingoutdream.org/ is a thing.

This book claims that teeth-falling-out-dreams (one of Freud's "typical dreams") are recorded from Akkadian times and Roman times.
posted by Rumple at 12:16 AM on May 23, 2017 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Finn here.
yeah i have had a dream of teeth falling out (my buddy has too), read it has something to do with withholding the truth or something in that vein. was accurate for me at least. horrible fucking dream. don't lie peeps!
posted by speakeasy at 3:17 AM on May 23, 2017

Best answer: Canadian born, raised in Canada but a culturally Chinese household.

I've never had this dream, nor have I heard of anyone who has had it outside of the internet (but then again i don't suppose i really discuss my dreams with very many people). In my case it might be because it's a little too close to reality - childhood dental surgery, not fun.
posted by btfreek at 4:28 AM on May 23, 2017

Best answer: South Asian here - this dream is common among my peers and people of an older generation - my mother often has it!
posted by Ziggy500 at 6:50 AM on May 23, 2017

Best answer: I polled some young Romanians about this a few years ago and none of them had had these dreams.
posted by chaiminda at 8:40 AM on May 23, 2017

Response by poster: Thanks all. Humans are weird!
posted by angrycat at 10:37 AM on May 23, 2017 [3 favorites]

I'm Irish and I had them weekly during a particularly stressful time of my life.
posted by knapah at 3:22 PM on May 23, 2017