Tooth loss dreams generally have negative interpretations. Dreams about teeth falling out symbolize feelings of powerlessness, fear, shame, and abandonment.
The most important thing to remember about tooth loss dreams is that they are simply reflections of how they psyche feels; these dreams are not prophecies of the future.
How Teeth Fall Out in Dreams
Tooth loss in dreams happens in a number of ways. Some teeth shatter in dreams. Some crumble. Sometimes only one tooth falls out, sometimes the entire set. Sometimes the dreamer starts trying to pull out just one tooth, but the rest fall out as well.
People often think the manner in which teeth fall out in dreams is of primary importance. But most dream interpretation experts believe that the feelings evoked by the dream are what's significant. The hole that the lost tooth leaves behind is often small compared to the hole the psyche feels once the "tooth" makes its exit. Those feelings are the key to the dream's interpretation.
Powerlessness and Tooth Loss in Dreams
The feelings of powerlessness evoked in tooth loss dreams are the main reason they are so disturbing. The teeth are falling out, shattering, crumbling away and there is absolutely nothing the dreamer can do to stop the loss. The feelings of powerlessness in the dream usually mirrors feelings surrounding a waking life situation.
Is a romantic relationship coming to an inevitable end? Are there fears that a job will be lost? Are a series of unfortunate events wreaking havoc on waking life? Is there a feeling of being lost on life's path? These are all prime reasons teeth fall out in dreams.
Losing Teeth in a Dream as a Symbol of Fear of Change
In waking life, if one is taking care of one's self, and barring accidents, teeth fall out during transition. Baby teeth give way to permanent ones during the transition from youngster to adolescent. And when grown adults begin the transit into old age, tooth loss can result. The difference between the two transitions is that old age tooth loss is symbolic of a transit into death. Either way, transition means change.
Change is always a frightening prospect. Abrupt change is especially painful. And change over which one feels there is no control, such as the death of a loved one or being dumped in a relationship, hurts the most. If either of these events has occurred, or the dreamer believes sharp change is imminent, tooth loss dreams begin occurring.
Change is not always negative. Ironically, often positive change brings about some of the most severe anxiety. Fear of failure. Fear of success. What will the self be if it isn't the self it currently is? The ego may reward great waking life strides with tooth loss dreams.
Abandonment and Embarrassment in Dreams
Cue tooth loss dreams can be symbolic of abandonment. A friend just stops returning calls or vanishes just in a time of crisis. A lover runs away with another person just when things seemed perfect. Or perhaps, out of nowhere, the boss assigns a pink slip.
Sometimes teeth fall out in dreams not because the dreamer has been abandoned but because he feels he will be abandoned. In cases like this the dreamer needs to evaluate waking life situations because he may be overreacting or wrongly reading situations therefore setting himself up for self-sabotage.
Losing a tooth in a dream can also suggest feelings of embarrassment. People with missing teeth will sometimes cover their mouth out of embarrassment. Dreams about losing teeth may symbolize a form of embarrassment, mirroring the dreamer's desire to "cover up" something that's perceived as shameful.
Teeth Falling Out in Dreams and Malnourishment
Since malnourishment is one reason teeth can fall out, tooth loss dreams can symbolize a fear of being unable to put food on the table. Malnutrition may be symbolic. Teeth falling out in dreams can mean you are failing to nourish yourself. What is starving need not be the physical body—it may be the mind, the soul or the spirit.
Tooth loss dreams generally involve feelings of mystery; the dreamer is typically at a loss to explain what is happening within his mouth. When facing death or illness a similar situation may exist; trauma has descended for no reason and the fears facing the dreamer defy emotional expression. Tooth loss dreams can be the psyche's attempt to give a name to those unidentifiable feelings, whether it's fear in a more general sense, fear of abandonment or embarrassment, or perhaps, fear of change.
Be aware that tooth loss dreams one of the most common nightmares dreamers experience. Individuals who experience such nightmares are far from alone.
Sources:
The Portable Jung by C. G. Jung.
The Mythic Dimension: Selected Essays 1959-1987 by Joseph Campbell.
The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets by Barbara Walker.
Aisling Ireland - Aisling Ireland has studied Jungian psychology for the past two decades, has a B.S. in Psychology, and has written extensively on the ...
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