dreamid|dreamtitle|para1|para2|para3|para4|para5|para6|para7|para8|para9 teethintro|"My Teeth Are Falling"|Dreams of falling teeth are the most common dreams that Dream Moods receives. The typical dream scenarios include having your teeth crumble in your hands, fall out one by one with just a light tap, grow crooked or start to rot. Such dreams are not only horrifying and shocking, but they often leave you with a lasting image of the dream. So what does it mean?

One theory is that dreams about your teeth reflect your anxieties about your appearance and how others perceive you. Your teeth help to convey an image of attractiveness and play an important role in the game of flirtation, whether it is flashing those pearly white, kissing or necking. Thus, such dreams may stem from a fear of rejection, sexual impotence or the consequences of getting old. To support this notion, a dream research found that women in menopause report to have frequent dreams about teeth. This points to teeth dreams as being related to getting older and/or feeling unattractive and less feminine. Teeth are an important feature to your attractiveness and how you are presented to others. Caring about how you look is natural and healthy.

Another rationalization for these falling teeth dreams may be rooted in your fear of being embarrassed or making a fool of yourself in some situation. These dreams are an over-exaggeration of your worries and anxieties. Perhaps you feel that you are unprepared for the task at hand. However, you will find that your worries are unfounded in most cases. Sometimes what plays out in your mind is far worse than what is reality.

Teeth are used to bite, tear, chew and gnaw. In this regard, teeth symbolize power. And the loss of teeth in your dream may be from a sense of powerlessness. Are you lacking power in some current situation? Perhaps you are having difficulties expressing yourself or getting your point across. You feel frustrated when your voice is not being heard. You may be experiencing feelings of inferiority and a lack of self-confidence in some situation or relationship in your life. This dream may be an indication that you need to be more assertive and believe in the importance of what you have to say.

Traditionally, it was thought that dreaming that you did not have teeth, represent malnutrition or poor diet. This notion may still be applicable to some dreamers.

Other Perspectives

A scriptural interpretation for bad or falling teeth indicates that you are putting your faith, trust, and beliefs in what man thinks, rather than in the word of God. The bible says that God speaks once, yea twice in a dream or a vision in order to hide pride from us, to keep us back from the pit, to open our ears (spiritually) and to instruct and correct us.

Many cultures, including the Hispanic and Greek cultures, believe that when you dream about loose, rotten, falling, or missing teeth, then it indicates that a family member or close friend is very sick or even near death.

According to the Chinese, there is a saying that your teeth will fall out if you are telling lies.

It has also been said that if you dream of your teeth falling out, then it symbolizes money. This is based on the old tooth fairy story. If you lose a tooth and leave it under the pillow, a tooth fairy would bring you money.

(Thank you to Brook who emailed us with the biblical significance of teeth dreams, to Vanessa who shared the Hispanic perspective and to Eleni who shared the Greek perspective. Anna contributed her mother's story about teeth and money). teethdream1|Rotting Teeth|I had a dream that I bit on something that was hard and a tooth fell out. Quickly all of my teeth start rotting and falling out. I looked at myself and saw that I had few teeth left and the ones left were black and small. I used my hand to pull back my cheek and look at my back teeth and half of my lower jaw (gums and teeth in one piece) fell out into my hand. I was terrified. I fit it back into place before anyone saw it and rushed to my boyfriend for comfort to tell him what was happening. I said, "Look are my teeth!" and he said, "what did you do?" That was the end of the dream.

Signed,
Amy C.
June 21, 2000|

|Dear Amy,

Dreams about loosing your teeth typically represents you insecurities and concerns about your appearance and how you think others perceive you. You may be feeling unattractive and this may be reflected in your toothless condition.

All and all, it would be important to explore the relationship you have with your boyfriend. You mentioned how you run to him for comfort, but instead of being comforted, he sounds like he is more or less blaming you for the situation. He says "what did you do?" as if it was your fault that your teeth fell out and that you had done something to make them fall out. This may parallel a deeper issue between you and your boyfriend where you may feel that he has blamed you for something that were beyond your control. Maybe he is making little kidding remarks about your physical appearance and in your mind you feel like he would like you to look a certain way. Your feel that you are not meeting his expectations of beauty. Or perhaps, you may be putting pressure on yourself and you think that that is what he is thinking.

Best Regards,
Jade teethdream2|Two Teeth In One Spot|Hi. I just had a dream about teeth falling out. It was rather weird, as two teeth had fallen out of the same spot - which is not possible! The teeth were rather small and white, and little blood was present. I don't know how it happened really, but I guess my tongue touched that tooth/teeth and it became really loose and started moving. And then it just fell out a little bit after that. 

At one point, I looked in the mirror and my teeth were REALLY decayed, like lots of ridges and junk. But then, my teeth looked fine again, like shiny. When I smiled, you couldn't tell I had lost that tooth. After that, I went to the hospital with my teeth, and they sent me home and told me that they'd call me. All that time, I had my teeth in my hand. What's this supposed to mean?

Thanks a lot
Mon L.
August 8, 2000|

|Dear Mon,

Your dream seem to represent a loss of power or aggressiveness. It is interesting how you mentioned that two teeth fell out from the same spot. This sounds similar to the teeth of sharks where it grows in rows - one row behind the other. This notion furthers my belief that your teeth dream is symbolic of power and there lack of.

Incidentally, you end up at the hospital - a place where you can heal, both mentally or physically. Your dreams seems to suggest that you may be feeling run down. Is there a situation in your life that is giving you some stress or where you feel you have no control over, thus contributing to feelings of powerlessness?

Metaphorically, the teeth that you still held in your hand may mean that the power IS in your hand. It seems that sometimes you may have a tendency to doubt and second-guess yourself. This dream serves as a reassurance to always believe in yourself.

Best Regards,
Steve teethdream3|Braces|In my dream my friend's brother and a couple of his friends came over to my house. My friend's brother and one of his friends have their girlfriend with them. The other friend is alone. Then we head out to some gathering, and my mom is with us. 

I had just gotten braces (In real life I never had braces) on my top teeth and they were extremely painful and uncomfortable. So I pulled them down to my bottom teeth, all of the sudden my teeth started to bleed very badly and fall out, each time a tooth fell out I would hand it to my mom and she would put it in her pocket. It was always incisors or molars that fell out. I suppose it would be helpful to mention that my friend's brother was sitting behind her as I gave the teeth to her, and that once had a crush on him.

What does this mean?
Unsigned
August 19, 2000|

|Hi!

Your dream about loosing your teeth is a very common. Your dream is a classic example of what it generally means when one's teeth falls out. It is obvious that you are concerned about your appearance and what your friend's brother thinks about you. I wonder if you still have a tiny crush on him (maybe if he didn't have a girlfriend). You may still act a little nervous when he's around. And this nervousness manifested itself in your dream. You feel insecure. You probably never know what exactly to say and when you do say something to him, you probably think your sounded stupid. In this regard, the lack of teeth also represents you difficulties in communicating with him. After all, without your teeth, what you say is unclear and muffled. It is quite natural to become tongue-tied when talking to someone you like.

An interesting thing to note in your dream is that you had braces. In dreams, puns come into play a lot, as corny as some may be. Your braces is a pun for you to "brace yourself". As you go to this gathering, you may be bracing yourself for something bad that may happen...and then your teeth falls out. Your mom is a protective figure who shields you from your friend's brother so that he can't really see you in your toothless condition.

Best Regards,
Steve teethdream4|Gums|Thanks for the point of view on dreams about your teeth falling out.

My question is if there is any significance to the fact that I pull my teeth out one by one myself and that I can FEEL it ripping out of my gums?

This is a dream that I have often and the dream only varies once in awhile regarding how I pull the teeth out.

Thanks,
Michelle L.
September 5, 2000|

|Hi Michelle,

I am glad you have found the interpretation of teeth to be meaningful and helpful for you.

In answer to your inquiry of the significance of feeling your teeth being ripped out of your gums, I believe the feelings may parallel your emotional state of feeling hurt or distressed. You indicated how you often have dreams of your teeth falling out. These dreams usually mean anxieties over your appearance, your lacking sense of power or your inability to communicate. These varying situations bring about emotions which may manifest itself as the sensations you feel as your teeth is being pulled out of your gums.

Best Regards,
Steve|

|Michelle's Response:

Steve,

Thanks for getting back to me on my question about pulling my own teeth out. I found your page very interesting and shared it with everyone at work. They are going to be checking it out and seeing what their dreams are about. teethdream5|Can't Afford Dentist|Last night was probably the 4th or 5th teeth dream I have had. I remember putting on this adult-sized doll head with holes for eyes. Two strings came down and you were to fasten each sting/loop around each top front tooth. So I did this (the mask represented the god-head that is within all of us; at least that is what I remember thinking as I put it on). I realized the mask was too heavy and I started getting scared because I knew if I didn't get it off or support my head, my teeth would be pulled out. 

I was calling/mumbling for my mother to help me, while I grabbed a pair of scissors and opened them up. I used one blade to cut the string on one tooth and as my mom came in to help, I got the other one cut. It took all my strength to keep the mask supported while cutting the string. So I got the mask off and went to a mirror. 

My teeth (which are genetically straight) were all out of alignment. I started to try and fix them and they became all loose, misplaced, and falling out. The top teeth were on the bottom and I would try and fix them. Then I realized I had to keep my mouth shut to hold them in place ( a few refused to stay put). As I held my mouth closed, I had to spit out what I thought were teeth but they were crystals. I had a handful of crystals and a major dentition problem on my hands. 

My mother is gone and now I am running around the house looking for my cat, my mate, and some advice. We can't afford a dentist and they are two people there who are trying to get in my way. 

My teeth keep moving around, falling out. I go back to the mirror and now some are rotting and one is put in upside down. Finally. Matt, my partner, says, "Let's just go to the dentist." I am relieved. He grabs our child ( can't tell what sex it is) and I grab Simon the cat. Matt is climbing the stairs to get out and I am behind him with Simon. The two people, who now represent evil or demons (I remember feeling and thinking that) grab me and won't let me go up the stairs. 

I wake up and feel my teeth are okay and cuddle up to Matt and wish Simon was sleeping at the end of the bed. I feel I should mention I am 12 and a half weeks pregnant. The other times I have had dreams with teeth I wasn't pregnant. My molars have cracked and then fallen out piece by piece. I just graduated from University (anthropology) and am in desperate need of a job. Money is a big stress. The other dreams are vague and involved teeth falling out, wanting to fix them and putting them back in the proper socket but the teeth not staying or being really loose so I have to be extra careful when doing anything with my mouth.

P.S. I just remembered some more of the dream. When trying to decide what to do after the initial glance in the mirror, I try to call some dentists and the two people (one was female not sure of the other) keep inhibiting any progress. They are mean and laughing. I am afraid they are going to do bad things to my cat. The child didn't appear until the moment Matt and I decide to just go to the dentist.

Also, to me, teeth are important for survival in that they are the means in which food is first ground-up for digestion. I think anthropologically about physical attributes. The healthier the teeth the better chances for longevity and quality of life. I am 25 and only have had one cavity.

Good luck with this one and I look forward to hearing from you.

Signed,
Angela G.
September 17, 2000|

|Hi Angela,

You are correct when you say that teeth are important for survival and this notion is not far off in understanding the meaning of your dream. Teeth dreams often signify concerns about appearance but in your case, they relate specifically with strength, power, and aggression. You be feel that you have lost your "bite" - your decisiveness and your killer instinct.

Let's break down and analyze your dream. You mention how you are wearing this mask which you say represents a "god-head" within all of us. This "god-head" you refer to invokes strength, guidance, and self-empowerment. Undoubtedly, your mother has been very supportive of you and have given you that power and guidance. However, as you are becoming a mother yourself, you need to embody these qualities and be your own strong person. You expressed difficulties in keeping the mask balanced on your head. In other words, you don't feel strong enough and you lean on your mother again who helps you with the mask. However, when you cut the strings that is looped around your teeth, it is symbolic of how you are cutting your mother loose. She doesn't appear in the remainder of your dream and you are left to stand on your own. Perhaps this is the first time in your life where you truly feel like an adult.

On your own now, you are overwhelmed with anxiety. You immediately notice your loose and falling teeth. You lose your sense of power and aggression and start to question your ability to handle things on your own. You really fear being alone and seek comfort in Matt and even in your cat, Simon.

Incidentally, dentists implies vulnerability. But when you dream that you can't afford a dentist indicates your waking concerns about money matters.

Towards the end of your dream, when Matt says "Let's go to the dentist" is telling of how you will overcome your financial problems. However, the notion that you have to climb UPstairs suggests that to put an end of your money worries is not going to be an easy one. These two people in you dream who are trying to hinder you from achieving your goals may be self-defeating qualities and aspects of your own self. You may have self-doubt in your success. Ask yourself what is really stopping you from proceeding up the stairs. What do you fear? Failure? Falling down?

Best Regards,
Steve|

|Angela's Response:|Steve-

A sincere "thank-you" as your e-mail has shed much light on my psyche this evening. I hope your talents continue to do so for you and others.

In peace & love,

Angela G. teethdream6|Too Much Chewing Gum|I have a dream where the top of my mouth is clogged up with what feels like chewing gum. When I try to pull it out, my teeth come out one by one. I can actually feel the sensation in my dream! All I can think about is getting them put back in. What on earth is all this about? Help!

Angela C.
December 20, 2001|

|Hi Angela,

Your dream suggests that you are unable to effectively express yourself. After all, it would be pretty tough to talk when your mouth is clogged with chewing gum. Having no teeth would also make it difficult to speak. The loss of your teeth suggests that you are feeling disempowered and vulnerable. You may be having trouble getting your point across. As a result, this dream is a reflection of your waking frustrations of not being heard or not taken seriously. You need to believe in the value of your own opinion and believe that what you feel and say is important.

Best Regards,
Steve|

|Angela's Response:|Dear Steve,

MANY thanks for your e-mail, it was really useful and very true I think! I'll be keeping in touch and again. Thanks very much for your time!

Regards,
Angela teethdream7|Crooked Teeth|I I keep having this recurring dream where my teeth are not straight. I try to straighten them and they pull out, but aren't attached to the root. I don't know what this means. I have had orthodontic work before. I have had this dream about 6 times recently.

Sincerely,
Matt T.
August 20, 2001|

|Hi Matt,

Your recurring dreams about your teeth not being straight is an indication of your struggles with perfection. You may be feeling inadequate about some relationship or social situation. The notion that your teeth are not attached to the roots, suggests that you do not have a solid foundation in achieving your goals. This may stem from your own lack of self-confidence.

Best Regards,
Amy|

|Matt's Response:|Dear Amy, 

Thanks a lot for your interpretation of my dream. I guess some of your ideas make sense about my life right now. Thanks again.

Matt teethdream8|Biting Down Too Hard|Hi. I keep on having reoccurring dreams about my teeth falling out. Last night I dreamt that Ii had a big crack in my front tooth and it then chipped. I asked my mum and dad to take me to the dentist but they didn't seem too bothered about it. That is where my dream ended. I have had lots of dreams like this, and usually bite down hard on my teeth in my dream and I can't stop doing this until I hear in my head one of my teeth break. I hope you can help me? 

Thank You 
Carolyn 
May 7, 2001|

|Hi Carolyn,

Your recurring dreams about your teeth falling out reflects your anxieties about your appearance and how others perceive you. The notion that your parents are not concerned suggests that you feel that they do not understand you. Your parents may view your concerns as frivolous. 

Biting down on your teeth, signifies your growing frustrations. You may be literally feeling that you are at the breaking point of some situation.

Best Regards,
Steve teethdream9|Colorful Teeth|I dreamt that for some reason I had painted my teeth all different bright colors, red, green, blue and yellow. Even my tongue and my gums were brightly colored. I then remember that there was also a hole in one side of my cheek, and everyone at work could see through this hole. I was at work, but I don't think I was too embarrassed. I just thought that it was really strange, and quite nerve-wracking that I had suddenly got this huge gaping hole in the side of my face.

Laura M.
October 15, 2001|

|Hi Laura,

Your colorful teeth and tongue may be calling attention to the vivid and colorful stories you tell and the animated way you express yourself. People may even think that you are being melodramatic. The hole on the side of your cheek suggests that others can see straight through the core and truth of the stories you tell. 

Best Regards,
Steve emailteeth1|Email Bag: Falling Teeth And Death|Hi! I'm no expert when it comes to interpreting dreams, but being an active dreamer since I can remember my own existence, I think I have something to contribute.

In my culture (I'm from Bosnia and Herzegovina), dreaming about teeth, or rather your teeth falling out, would be a sign of death. 

Personally, I have had four such dreams and in all four times someone died. It did sound crazy to me at first. The persons who died were in my family, although it was not always someone I knew well. At first, I didn't believe in such things, but after this I paid more attention to my dreams. 

I don't think that dreaming about your teeth means that you are worried about how you look. Dreams show your inner self and if humans are this shallow deep inside, then poor us. I think you should do more research on dreams. Sometimes it goes a bit deeper.

I write you this mail to ask you to do more work with this subject, after all, thousands of people come to these pages to learn something about themselves.

Thank you for your time.
Unsigned
April 29, 2001|

|Dream Moods' Reply:|Hi!

Thank you for your email and offering your perspective on dreams about teeth. Dreams are fascinating and I realize that there will be different views on the same dreams depending on your culture and your beliefs. We, at Dream Moods, welcome these different views and are glad to provide your perspective so that visitors to our site can decide for themselves. Our goal is to encompass a wider spectrum of understanding of your dreams.

We have actually published your email on our site.  We hope you continue to visit the site and find it a useful tool.

Best Regards,
Steve|

|More Emails:

Hello, my name is Pam. I wanted to share with you that every time I dream of my teeth falling out, someone in my family dies. I am so scared when I have that dream. I know that someone I am close to is going to die or have already passed during the night. For all the deaths that I have had to face, I knew in advance and sometimes I knew who. How can I stop this from happening? And do you know why it happens to me? If you can give me some  answers I would appreciate it. 

Sincerely,
Pam 
June 29, 2001

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Hello. My friend told me she dreams of people (usually men) with their teeth falling out. And as soon as she dreams it, within a couple of days someone she knows dies. But it's always been someone old in the family. She said her mom and uncle used to get it when they were younger. Is it coincidence or real? And if it's real, is their something she can do to recognize the person who is going to die and maybe stop it from happening. 

Unsigned
July 16, 2001

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Hello, I would like to share that my great-grandmother was the interpreter of dreams in our family. She also believed that when you dreamed of teeth falling out, it meant impending death. 

When growing up, I remember these dreams always coincided with someone's death within a week. The added twist is if there was pain involved with the falling out of teeth? If there was no pain, it would represent a distant relationship, whereas in a painful dream it would be someone close to you. 

Then there are also dreams of dogs loosing their teeth. Dogs represent friends. The same applies here: if there is pain involved it could mean an immediate need for help by that friend. This friend may also be stricken with an illness and possibly even death. 

These beliefs have been passed on through the generations of our family. They seem very specific and have always come true. Probably sounds strange to you, let me know what you think :)

Conny
February 25, 2002

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



In my family we have had a couple of instances where a sibling or relative would dream about their teeth falling out or be "loose". When this happens, a week or day later, one our family members would be gravely ill or even die.

Just recently I woke up very concerned because the night before I could "feel" a tooth fall out. Immediately, I wanted to talk to my mom to see how my grandma was; since grandma was in the same dream. Without calling home, I went to school and did my normal routine throughout the day and decided to call home a night. Once my day ended, I called home when my brother picked-up, and he told me that my aunt died.

My aunt had been very sick in the last couple of years, fighting several complications...she is no longer suffering.

SS
May 11, 2002|

|Dream Moods' Reply:

Hi!

Thank you for sharing your dream with us. I don't really believe that dreaming you or someone else's teeth falls out foretells that there will a death in the family. However, I have received several emails similar to yours in which people have said that someone in their family did die after they had this dream.

Personally, I believe that such teeth dreams may be coincidental. I receive an overwhelming amount of email from people reporting that their teeth are falling and crumbling in their dreams. And in almost all these cases, no one has died as a result of having this dream.

It would also be quite hard to determine how long after you dreamt that your teeth was falling out and then somebody will die. If or when someone does die, it is easy to look back and say "no wonder I dreamt that my teeth was falling out". This dream could've occurred yesterday, a week ago, or several months ago. It would be convenient for someone to make a correlation with dream they had weeks ago and say that they had predicted the death. Since you have to wait for someone to die first, it would be difficult to prove the validity of the dream and that in fact, the dream was an omen.

The above is simply my personal opinion. There is so much we do not know about dreams and what they are trying to tell us. Only you can ultimately decide what a certain dream means to you. I hope I have answered your question.

Best Regards,
Steve emailteeth2|Email Bag: Falling Teeth And Gossip|For many years, I had dreams of loosing my teeth. The basic theme was always the same - I would notice my front teeth were very loose. I would become very upset by this. Eventually, to my horror, they would painlessly drop out. I would pick them up and shove them back into their sockets, in an attempt to make them stay in. Of course this failed. Soon, all my teeth would be loose in their sockets and I would feel mounting hysteria as I realized I was going to loose them all. Sometimes I would spit them out, and the sensation of that was awful. Or sometimes they would crumble and I would be spitting out tiny pieces. This version was more upsetting as I would be distraught not to have the actual teeth at all. I would always awaken with sore front teeth (spooky).

Personally, I never really went on the typical analysis that teeth falling dreams was about not being heard. Eventually, I did find an interpretation that said it signified the dreamer could be gossiping too much, perhaps maliciously, or revealing too much to an unknown enemy. This seemed to fit perfectly.

After having this interpretation, when I dreamed of teeth falling out I would also dream of trying to resolve it, by trying to find a dentist or gluing them back in. This told me I was indeed on the right track. I now only have this dream very rarely as a warning to watch my mouth - which I heed immediately.

Anonymous
May 8, 2001|

|Dream Moods' Reply:

Hi

Thank you for sharing your teeth falling dream with us and showing us the importance of an interpretation in helping you resolve and understand the meaning of your dreams.

You had mentioned that your dreams of teeth falling was due to malicious gossip. We are not here to tell you that this is right or this is wrong. Only you can determine what is the correct interpretation for your own dreams. With that said, we have included your perspective on our site so that our visitors can decide and determine which meaning is most applicable to them. 

Best Regards,
Steve