Squid Game Season 3 is nearly here – and while we’re all waiting to see who will and won’t survive, one thing definitely didn’t make it: creator Hwang Dong-hyuk’s teeth.
Since its debut in 2021, Squid Game has become one of Netflix’s biggest success stories thanks to its blend of biting social commentary, gripping storylines, excellent characters, and, best of all, its creative challenges inspired by playground games.
After the Season 2 cliffhanger last December, we’ll soon find out who’s still in the game – including Seong Gi-hun, aka Player 456 (Lee Jung-jae), who still doesn’t know Player 001 is actually Front Man (Lee Byung-hun).
But while the contestants are pushed to their physical and emotional limits on screen, it turns out the pressure behind the scenes has been just as intense.
Hwang Dong-hyuk lost even more teeth making Squid Game Season 3
Hwang Dong-hyuk, the creator, writer, and director of Squid Game, has revealed that he’s lost a further two teeth during the making of Season 3 – and it’s all due to stress.
If you remember, following the release of the first chapter, reports surfaced that he’d lost about six teeth for this same reason, having felt the pressure of wanting to create what he’d envisioned.
However, in November last year, he said it was actually “eight or nine” gnashers that departed his mouth. And it made an unfortunate comeback for Seasons 2 and 3, which were filmed back-to-back.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Dong-hyuk said, “I thought it was going to be okay, but this time I had to pull out two more teeth as well. I had to pull out about eight teeth in Season 1, and now I have two more out, and I haven’t put them back in yet. So I’m waiting for them.”
The creator went on to explain that while Seasons 2 and 3 weren’t quite as stressful, as he’d already mapped out the framework, it still took a toll – especially with the pressure of finalizing the flagship series.
“I do already have the universe and the space that I have envisioned come to life, so in a sense, Season 2 and Season 3 was easier compared to Season 1,” he continued.
“But the problem is that for Season 2 and Season 3, we had to shoot and write in one go. It was as if we were making one season, and we tried as best as we could to bring in Season 3 as fast as possible.
“So the total amount was much larger, and we had to shoot for around one year, so it was very physically demanding.”
Can stress cause teeth to fall out?
Unfortunately, yes – though not quite in the cartoonish, pop-out-with-a-scream sort of way. Chronic stress has been linked to a range of dental issues, all of which can contribute to tooth loss over time.
That includes teeth grinding (also known as bruxism), jaw clenching, gum disease, and even weakened enamel.
In extreme cases, high cortisol levels and inflammation can also interfere with blood flow to the gums, compounding the problem. Or, it may accelerate gum disease, which also causes teeth to fall out.
Dong-hyuk isn’t the first celebrity to suffer with this issue. Back in 2017, Demi Moore revealed that she lost her two front teeth due to stress-related teeth grinding. Hopefully, with Season 3 set to drop this month, Dong-hyuk’s smile is given a rest.
Squid Game Season 3 lands on Netflix on June 27, 2025. Until then, read our predictions for who will die, the Squid Game prize money explained, and more TV shows coming to Netflix this month.
