Halloween is fast approaching, and even though this holiday isn’t widely celebrated in this country, one particular custom is becoming more popular. Trick or treating may be largely confined to across the pond, but the habit is spreading. If you are a parent then it might not be one you want to encourage, as most will not want their children to eat any more sweets than necessary, so what can you do to discourage the habit? There are various things you can do, such as getting together with other parents and agreeing to hand out healthy snacks such as sugar free gum, or choosing to stay away from food altogether and offering other small treats instead, for example fake vampire teeth, stickers or pencils or pens.
If your child does come home with a lot of sweets then you can try rationing it out to them over a period of several weeks, or you can offer to buy the sweets from them in return for a contribution towards something they are saving up for. When they do eat sweets then it is better if they eat them fairly quickly, so they can clean their teeth soon afterwards. Eating them more quickly helps to ensure that the acidity levels in their mouth soon return to normal so damage to their teeth is minimised.
Great Dental Care Starts Young
Great dental care while they are young will help to reduce the risk of them requiring dental implants in Kent at a later date. Dr Rik Trivedi and all the dentists in Kent surgery are very child friendly, and will do everything possible to make sure they feel comfortable and that they are not scared of visiting the dentist, and if you have dental fears then we can also help you!
If you do have children, and know they are overdue for a check-up then why not make an appointment for them to come in and see one of our dentists? You can contact us on 01474 537191, or if you have any questions then you can email us on info@parrockdental.co.uk
Incidentally trick or treating is often thought of as being a North American custom, it originated in the Middle Ages in various different guises. One such early custom was called souling, and consisted of small soul cakes being given out to soulers who would go door to door on Halloween offering prayers and songs for the dead. The practise of trick or treating only really began to become popular in North America during the last century.
