As nightmares go, dreaming that you have rotten teeth is a pretty nasty one to get caught up in, as the potential realism of this dream can tangle up your nerves for the rest of your day.
You might find yourself visiting the bathroom after this dream and reassuring yourself that your teeth are fine!
But why does your subconscious mind subject you to a nasty dream like this? Just picture the terror you had during your dream of rotten teeth, and you’re halfway there.
A dream of rotten teeth can imply that circumstances are about to force you to say goodbye to something you value, but you don’t always appreciate, like your teeth.
Let’s take a closer look.
At A Glance: What Rotten Teeth Might Be Telling You In A Dream
- A warning: you might be at risk of losing something you don’t value until it is gone
- You need to reach out to someone to help you get over something
- You are struggling to let go of a situation or relationship that is no longer viable
- A reflection of grief, loss of control, or power
- You are in the process of moving on from a situation or relationship, but it’s not a simple road
Why Am I Dreaming Of Rotten Teeth?
While a horrible experience, a nightmare of rotten teeth can be useful, as it can focus your attention on something you really need to deal with now.
This could be anything, from a situation that you’re desperately trying to pretend doesn’t exist to something that you’re in danger of losing, and perhaps this is something that you just have to accept rather than fight to keep.
A dream of rotten teeth may also be a call to face up to your obligations or responsibilities in life, where you might be tempted to ignore them.
It also draws your attention to your choices, and how these can impact your life long-term, while you may not notice any effects short-term (similar to eating a lot of sugary food that rots your teeth).
If you dream specifically of mercury fillings, this can also be considered a warning dream.
As mercury is toxic, and some believe that mercury fillings are harmful in themselves, a dream like this may suggest that you are doing something that is harmful to your health, your future, or your relationships, or you need to help someone make the right decision in life.
But this only scratches the surface of what a dream like this can mean. Let’s take a look.
Feeling Detached From Life
A mouthful of broken or rotten teeth can imply that you feel detached or even empty of feeling altogether.
It may be that a situation has sucked all the joy out of things for you right now, or you’re under a lot of stress and your brain’s way of coping is to distance yourself from the present.
If you dream of looking at your rotten teeth in a mirror, this may imply that past trauma is still dictating your decisions, and if you act now, you will be able to move forward sooner than you might think.
Neglecting Yourself In Some Way
Just as we often turn to junk food or sugar to fill us up fast which can damage our health and our teeth over long periods, a dream like this can signal that you’re not looking after yourself in some aspect, in order to save time somewhere.
You might be under a huge deadline or have a lot to do where you just don’t feel you have the time to dedicate to looking after yourself properly, and this dream comes as a warning.
It implies that things will get much more difficult if you keep neglecting your health, whether that’s your physical, mental, or even spiritual well-being. It will set you back, and you might find it much harder to pick up the pieces than you can imagine.
A dream like this is common when you have promised too many people your time and energy, or your obligations are sapping all of your energy, leaving you no time or breathing room for yourself.
Consider how you might claw some of this time back, or what you might do to help bring your life back into balance.
Bewilderment
A dream of rotten teeth may suggest that life has left you feeling confused, lost, or completely directionless. Something that you thought was concrete or unchanging has collapsed in your life, leaving you unsure of what you should do.
This might be a relationship, a way of life, an outlook, or something else entirely.
Attempting To Rebuild Your Life
If you dream of seeing rotten teeth, and you visit the dentist (see also Dentist Dream Meaning), this refers to your attempts to rebuild part or all of your life.
It may reflect waking life, where you’ve recognized what a problem needs from you, and how you might move forward.
What Do Rotten Teeth Mean In A Dream?
Unfortunately, most dreams involving rotten teeth have negative interpretations. They usually denote something in your life coming to a natural close, or how a loss of confidence, stress, or anxiety is affecting your progress in waking life.
As we typically consider healthy teeth attractive and a sign of self-respect or money, a dream of rotten teeth may draw your attention to low self-esteem or a pessimistic view of life in general, and how this won’t serve you.
If teeth are decaying but aren’t completely rotten in your dream, this suggests that something which is ‘rotting’ in your waking life needs your attention, and it needs it now before things get worse.
Maybe one of your relationships is breaking down, or a situation in waking life is deteriorating near the point of return. Whatever the case, this dream is calling you to pay attention and to act quickly.
A dream where a dentist pulls out your rotten teeth is a call to seek the appropriate advice or help from your support network in waking life. There is something you can’t deal with on your own, and the sooner you admit you need help, the better things will be.
If you dream of neglecting your teeth past the point they can be fixed, this suggests that you are utterly done with a relationship, situation, or part of your life. You long to be free of it, or you’re refusing to see how holding onto it is hurting you.
This is a call to let go of anything that no longer serves you, and find a way to move forward.
A dream where you fix rotten teeth yourself implies that you’re trying your best to repair something that isn’t salvageable. Some things cannot be fixed, no matter how much you want them.
Dreaming Of Rotten Teeth Falling Out Of Your Mouth
What a nightmare! A dream of losing rotten teeth implies that you should expect significant upheaval in your life or a change in your life’s path soon.
It may also suggest that you’re about to lose something you value, but as the dream involves rotten teeth and not perfectly healthy teeth, it suggests a natural end to something, which will make way for better things.
Dreaming Of Broken And Ruined Teeth
Dreaming of broken and ruined teeth refers to your stress levels and how they affect your life, sense of power, and perhaps how they are disrupting your plans for the future.
If you have recurring dreams of broken and ruined teeth, this reflects your anxiety of being judged, or how you have a very low self-image and this will not serve you.
Dreaming Of Someone Else Having Rotten Teeth
Seeing someone else with rotten teeth in your dream is a call to look after your health, or pay attention to the connection you have with this person.
Dentist Dream Meaning
A dream of a dentist refers to authority, common sense, and recognizing problems before they have a chance to start. If you visit the dentist in your dream, and they fix rotten teeth or other problems, this is a very good sign for the future.
A fear of the dentist or things going wrong while at the dentist in your dream implies that you are scared to confront a situation or problem.
The Spiritual Interpretation Behind A Dream Of Rotten Teeth
The spiritual interpretation of a dream of rotten teeth implies that something is blocking you from moving along your spiritual path, or gaining a deeper understanding of forces at work in your life.
Your teeth being damaged in your dream may suggest that you need to take better care of yourself to move forward. If you are neglecting any aspect of your health, you can’t reasonably expect to perform well in life or think as clearly as you are capable of.
Maybe you’re cutting corners when it comes to your diet, or shaving hours away that should be dedicated to sleep to do something else.
A dream of rotten teeth is also a call to do some self-improvement in some aspect of your life. Just as ignoring teeth decay or ailments is a bad idea, so is not attempting to improve your life.
Maybe you’re happy with the way things are, but this may not serve you in the future. Perhaps you’re not making progress in terms of one of your goals, and this may be the only decent window you have to get something done.
Rotten Teeth Dream Summary
- Rotten teeth: you may be about to lose something important that you take for granted, or your self-image is completely distorted
- Shocked at your own rotten teeth: not taking care of yourself in some aspect
- Others having rotten teeth: look after yourself, consider spending time with this person
- Rotten teeth falling out: change and renewal, upheaval
- Broken teeth: you need to face up to responsibility, find a way to move forward
- Mercury fillings: be wary of your words, or help someone from making a terrible decision
- A dentist fixing or pulling rotten teeth: healing, support, renewal
- Avoiding the dentist, but you are in pain: unable to move on from a relationship that is bad for you
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