My Teeth Keep Falling Out! Options

I have these reoccuring dreams where some of my teeth fall out. And I mean very vivid, realistic dreams where I feel a tooth is loose, no pain but I can feel it against my gums. Then either some of my teeth fall out or I end up removing them.

The dreams themselves are not always the same but the theme of loosing some of my teeth happens like 3 or more times a month. Like a few days ago I had this dream where I was totally awake and alert, in my bed lying in a way that was totally normal. I didn't even know I was dreaming. But then I notice a tooth is loose, usually on the left of my jaw. I think I chew with each side equally, but one commonallity is I loose teeth on the left side. Then I kept realizing I was dreaming, actually wake up, fall right back to sleep and have the same damn dream all over again.

I have an idea about what teeth in general mean in dreams but I curious about teeth falling out. I have not been able to find anything that sheds any light on this and am hopeing someone here might have some insights.

I have the EXACT same dream, almost in the same way, although I tend to be in different places, many times I'm just in my bed, or in the bathroom looking in the mirror, or driving, when I'll notice a loose tooth, and then it'll come out - no pain, usually no blood - and then others follow. I had a dream once that I was losing more teeth than there were in my mouth, just pouring out. Sometimes I'll chew them up and swallow them too, never did quite understand that one.

For me it's become a lucid dreaming trigger. When I lose a tooth I'll almost inevitably be so shocked that such a thing would happen spontaneously that at first I would wake up, but eventually I would realize I must be dreaming because it was so impossible. I used to have a dream like that about every few weeks or so, now I think it's been a couple of months since the last time.

I have heard several theories on the meanings. My mother suggested it had to do with vanity and the fear of losing one's looks, charm, power over others, etc. I mention her because she's generally good at dream interpretation. One of my close friends who's often spot on, pointed out that it was a painless experience rarely involving blood, and the particular variation where I lose more than I have in my mouth, as a reference to material wealth, and the fear of not having money, losing your money, but the acknowledgement that the suffering from this is superficial - it doesn't hurt, and I didn't lose any precious blood.

Personally, for me both of those things would have to be waaaay down in my subconscious if they are there, cause money and good looks are about the last things I ever take into consideration, but it's worth mentioning that in all cases I've had some kind of monetary stress, or was in a position where I wasn't getting a lot of attention for one reason or another; or both.

I guess it must be a more common theme than I realized, either that or... we're soul mates... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/004.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/13.gif)

that's my cents. I'd be interested to hear from anyone else with this theme in a dream before.

peace