A gang of crooks are dreading the moment when the whole tooth comes out after one of them left their false teeth inside the home they had robbed.

The bizarre break-in happened at a home in Sankt Augustin, western Germany, on Thursday, 22nd December.

Police said the perpetrators climbed over a two-metre- (seven-foot-) high wall and then prised open a door while the couple were out on a walk.

When they returned 45 minutes later and realised their home had been robbed, they called police.

Investigators quickly found that the clumsy crooks had left a trail of incriminating evidence behind them.

They reported finding traces of DNA and a shoe print at the crime scene.

Bizarrely, they added, one of the burglars also left a set of dentures behind.

Police added that the crooks tried to break open a safe with a pickaxe from the couple’s shed.

But their efforts did not pay off, and they left the pickaxe stuck in the wall next to the untouched safe.

However, they managed to make off with wristwatches, jewellery, and cash from the residence.

According to estimates, the damages the couple sustained total a five-figure amount in euros.

Police are now seeking witnesses and are working to find out the perpetrators’ identities.