“It’s just a loose tooth! You’re 12! This is not the first tooth you’ve lost!”
Yes, that’s me being mom-of-the-year to my 12 year old. He has a loose baby tooth (a molar) and the permanent tooth is growing in over the top of it and pushing the baby tooth to the inside of his mouth. Now, to me, it’s simple: 1. The new tooth is coming in; 2. The baby tooth is loose; 3. The baby tooth needs to come out. To the 12 year old it’s not that simple… there was wailing, waving of hands, tears, and groaning – and that’s before he would even let me look at it.
That got me to thinking: why is it a bigger deal to him than I think is necessary? I mean, I have an intense dislike for any sort of mouth pain (years of braces and a one-time trip to a bad dentist have created that), but it’s just a baby tooth, right? Wrong. There’s something more primal, more instinctual, to losing a tooth. That’s how today’s post inspiration found me.
I did a quick Google search about the origin of the phrase, “like pulling teeth” and didn’t really get any solid answers. Oh, sure, there were old quotes that may have been the origin, but all the sites I found seemed to agree that “like pulling teeth” meant a process that is painful, difficult, and unwanted.
There are several dream interpretations for losing teeth:
Fear: Until late 20th century/early 21st century it was common to interpret a dream about losing teeth as a fear of losing a family member. More recently it’s changed to signify a fear of aging and the lack of control of one’s own aging process.
Anxiety: When people dream of losing teeth it can mean they’re anxious. According to some studies a dream about losing your teeth can indicate anxiety and lack of control over your circumstances.
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Personal Loss: People often dream about losing teeth during times of transition such as having to face a situation where you have to make a difficult choice. The symbolism of losing teeth in a dream can serve to make you aware of something you’re giving up or feel like you’re losing in real life.
Change: A dream of losing teeth or a tooth can indicate that you feel like you are letting go of something important, or leaving something important behind. Losing baby teeth is an outward and obvious signal that my son is changing from a child into a teen/young adult.
After sitting and thinking about it I realized even though I don’t share in my son’s fear and anxiety of losing his tooth, I understand it. Losing something, even when it’s causing you pain, is something we all resist.
Having come to that realization, The Best Husband and I have given him through the end of today to try and wiggle it out and then we’re taking him to the dentist. We’ll pay someone more than $100 to do what he, and we, should have been able to accomplish. But there again real life and childhood trauma cross paths: sometimes we are lacking the right tools to help ourselves, and need to seek the expertise of someone trained to help us.
Whether you believe in the symbolism of dreams, or the reality of childhood fear, this week I ask that you simply be aware of other people’s feelings. Recognize that people may feel differently than you, but we all share the feelings of fear, anxiety, and loss.
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