In this very common dream, you suddenly realise that your teeth feel loose, or that they are crumbling and about to fall out. It’s a great relief to wake up and find that your teeth are in fact intact.

Sometimes the dream is a warning that you need to visit your dentist. However, if your dental health is good, then the dream has a symbolic meaning. Do you need to ‘get your teeth’ into something in your waking life? Because we need our teeth in order to chew our food, they can symbolise your ‘bite on life’. Loose teeth may therefore indicate the need to be more forceful or decisive. It could be helpful to ‘chew things over’ with somebody who can help you to be more effective.

Before the advent of modern dentistry, losing teeth was often associated with old age. This type of dream can therefore reflect a secret fear of growing older. You need to focus less on the past and more on the benefits of maturity such as wisdom and greater self-confidence. At the other end of life’s spectrum, babies have no teeth. Your dream could, then, be a message that you have an infantile attitude to someone or something.