![]() ![]() Other interpretations of TD included Jung’s reported notion that TD in women represented childbirth (see Freud, 1900), as well as a more recent interpretation of TD as the fear of growing older ( Schneck, 1967). Notably, however, Freud also referred to an assumption that had already existed in his time, according to which, TD were related to dental stimuli (in his view, this simple explanation was probably true, yet absolutely insufficient). The connection between TD and death was a common belief for many years, which Freud (1900) reacted to with irony, suggesting instead that TD represent sexual elements including masturbation and castration. Soon after, in the Jewish Talmud, TD were construed as a prophecy for the impending death of a family member ( Gutheil, 1951). For example, he related losing teeth in a dream to the payment of debts ( Coolidge, 2006). Perhaps the earliest documented interpretation was given in Ancient Greece by Artemidorus, who meticulously divided the oral cavity to several components (e.g., molars, incisors, right and left side of the mouth) and gave each part a specific meaning. ![]() ![]() Nevertheless, this topic has hardly received empirical attention, even within the narrow field of dream research.īecause TD are so common and universal, there have been several attempts to provide interpretations for them. Understanding this disparity may be important for understanding the mechanisms governing dream production. In other words, it is difficult to explain why so many people dream, sometimes regularly, of the experience of teeth falling out, breaking, or rotting, experiences which are not particularly common in waking life for adults. The commonness of TD is somewhat inexplicable, as it is incompatible with the “continuity hypothesis", according to which, we dream of our waking concerns and waking life-experiences (e.g., Domhoff, 1996). TD are so prevalent that they have even received portrayals in popular media, such as the Walt Disney movie “Inside Out" ( Rivera and Docter, 2015), in which they were depicted as a manifestation of distress (a reasonable hypothesis which we will discuss further below). For example, in one study, 39.0% of respondents reported that they had experienced teeth dreams (TD) at least once, 16.2% reported that their TD were recurrent, and 8.2% reported that their TD were regular ( Yu, 2012). Research on TD portrays one path through which the mind may distort somatosensory stimuli and incorporate them into dreams as a vivid and emotionally salient image these preliminary findings highlight the potential of studying TD in order to broaden our understanding of the cognitive mechanisms governing dream production.ĭreams of teeth falling out, losing one’s teeth, or teeth breaking or rotting, constitute one of the most prevalent typical dream themes. Albeit preliminary, the present findings support the dental irritation hypothesis and do not support the symbolic hypothesis regarding the origins of TD. This disparity in the correlates of TD existed despite a small but significant relationship between psychological distress and dental irritation. Conversely, TD were unrelated to psychological distress, whereas other dream types were (specifically, dreams of being smothered and dreams of falling). TD were related to dental irritation (specifically, tension sensations in the teeth, gums, or jaws upon awakening), whereas other dream types were not. Dream themes, dental irritation, psychological distress, and sleep quality were assessed among 210 undergraduates. The aim of the present study was to explore two possible hypotheses for the origin of TD specifically, TD as incorporation of dental irritation into dreaming, and TD as a symbolic manifestation of psychological distress. They are especially enigmatic as they do not readily fall under the rubric of the “continuity hypothesis”, i.e., dreams of current and salient waking-life experiences. Teeth dreams (TD), i.e., dreams of teeth falling out or rotting, are one of the most common and universal typical dream themes, yet their source remains unknown and they have rarely been studied empirically. Consciousness and Psychopathology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel. ![]()
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