10 Common Nightmares (And What They Actually Mean)

6. Teeth Falling Out

The horror! Another extremely common dream is that your teeth decide to fall out for little or no reason, leaving you without the need for a dentist, but requiring the assistance of some dentures. Losing your teeth isn't the most disturbing dream that your brain - in its infinite ability to create things to delight and terrify you - can conjure up, but it is certainly amongst the most startling, given that most of us have a collection of teeth in our mouths (and want to keep them). What It Means... When you lose your teeth in your dream, it is usually rooted in the fear of being unable to express yourself, or feeling as if you're losing control or influence in some part of your life. Whether you've been shunted out of a project at work, or suffer from shyness, losing your teeth in your dreams harkens back to the idea that losing something from our mouths affects what we can do with them - primarily, speech. By losing our teeth, we are losing our strength and the developmental abilities that are a result of our evolution - in short, if we lose our teeth in our dreams, we're scared about being silenced and losing our power.