Across America, parts of Europe, and more recently in New Zealand, October and November is the time when people, especially children, go door-to-door demanding treats. A large part of this involves dressing up as a character of some sort. Modern costumes are entirely dependent on the personal choice of the person wearing them. Unless you’re a dog. Then you have to wear something your human thinks is cute.

But where did it all start?
Scotland, 1585. That’s when the earliest known reference to Halloween costumes appears. But it wasn’t always called Halloween. It’s an adaptation of the ancient Celtic festivals of Samhain and Calan Gaeaf. These festivals celebrated the beginning of the ‘darkening’ of the year as Europe headed into autumn and then winter. People believed unfriendly supernatural beings and the souls of the dead would appear on one particular night.

To frighten these beings away, people would dress up as witches, ghouls, and demons themselves. They would then go door-to-door, much like carol singers, to perform a skit or recite a poem in the hopes of receiving a gift of food on behalf of the spirits. It was also a time when pranks were played and blamed on the spirits. Trick or treat, anyone?

Nowadays, the ‘treats’ have been reduced to mostly sweets, candy, and chocolate. These sugar-laden ‘treats’ cause horrible glycemic reactions that could, in the long term, result in sugar addiction or diabetes. They also begin a process within the mouths of the trick or treaters that, if left unchecked, could rob them of their teeth. Ironic really – the treat causing the harm the trick would have. The only good thing about this that the trick or treaters wouldn’t have to worry about dressing up to scare their victims. All they’d have to do is smile. There’s nothing like a gummy smile with stained, rotting, and missing teeth, not to mention the resulting horrendous bad breath, to frighten the living, never mind the undead.

So, if you don’t want to scare away the general population, not to mention your love life, on a daily basis, exceptionally good, diligent, and regular oral care is essential!

Take care of your fangs!

• Brush correctly twice a day and floss as well.
• Cut sugar out of your diet completely – food and drink.
• Drink more water than coffee. Don’t drink sugar-laden drinks or energy drinks.
• Visit your dental hygienist three times a year.
• Visit your dentist a minimum of twice a year.

If you have questions about how to care for your teeth, please contact us on 0508 TEAM DENTAL and set up an appointment today.