TOOTHLESS

Last week after my audition, I fell asleep on my couch with a fire going and Friends on TV. The dream I had creeped the bananas out of me. I dreamed that my two front teeth mysteriously disappeared up into my gum and the rest of my teeth slid forward at an awkward, severe angle. Then, the front teeth fell out the side of my gum and one by one, my teeth started cracking and crumbling and breaking. I was spitting out bloody shards of tooth into my hand. Disgusting, I know. But I woke up and was so paranoid that I had really lost all of my teeth! So I Googled it this week and the results are interesting. Apparently, losing your teeth is a pretty common dream. I've talked to three people just this week that said they have that dream all the time. So, in case you are among the masses, here's a compilation of what I found:

One theory is that dreams about your teeth reflect your anxiety about how others perceive you. Teeth are an important feature of our attractiveness and presentation to others. Everybody worries about how they appear to others. Caring about our appearance is natural and healthy.

According to some, our teeth are related to our sense of power and our ability to communicate. Losing our teeth not only makes us embarrassed by our appearance, which hinders our communications, but it also lessens our power because we may not speak our minds.

Teeth are used to bite, tear, chew and gnaw. In this regard, teeth represent power. The loss of teeth in your dream may be from a sense of powerlessness or difficulties expressing oneself or getting a point across. There is frustration when your voice is not being heard. You may experience feelings of inferiority and a lack of self-confidence in some situation or relationship in your life. This dream is an indication that you need to be more assertive and believe in the value of your own opinion. A dream about your teeth falling out usually symbolizes that you are having a challenge getting your voice heard or feelings acknowledged. This may be referring to conversations with a particular person such as significant other, boss, or friend.

Another rationalization for a falling teeth dream may be rooted in your fear of being embarrassed or making a fool of yourself in some specific situation. These dreams are an over-exaggeration of your worries and anxiety.

A scriptural interpretation for bad or falling teeth indicate 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.

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

Is it just me, or is that a lot of interpretation for one dream?