At least 3 - 4 times a weeks, I dream that I have a loose tooth and then it falls out and I panick.

This has been quite troubling for me. I have tried to figure out the meaning of this dream on my own, but I have been unsuccessful.

-- Veronica

Dear Veronica -

Your dream is one of the most common "anxiety" dreams that people experience - right up there with being lost, being naked in public, and being unprepared to take a test or exam at school.

These dreams relect an anxiousness or nervousness (anxiety) related to our appearance. How would you look without that tooth? Which tooth is it (in the dream)? Would your smile be ruined?

Teeth are an important feature of our attractiveness and presentation to others. We all worry about how we appear to others, and in this sense your dream is totally normal. Caring about our appearance is healthy; not caring about it, in fact, is a sign of low self-esteem. But there is a balance to everything in this world. Your dream, and particularly the fact that it recurs 3 to 4 times per week, indicates you most likely are worried about your attractiveness to others. Do you think that maybe you worry too much about your appearance? I am sure you have a very nice smile, but I would encourage you to remember the old wisdom - beauty radiates from the inside out. Be healthy and beautiful on the inside - and believe me, that beauty will be recognized by everyone you ever want to meet.