Halloween Candy Buy Back

NATICK —
Halloween, with its bounty of candy bars and sugary sweets, is the enemy of dentists who every day wage war against cavities and tooth decay in the mouths of their young patients.

But area dentists are fighting back, asking kids to turn over the bulk of their trick-or-treat take in exchange for $1 per pound of candy and the knowledge that their sweets will be sent to troops serving overseas.

"It's a great holiday, the only downside is the enormous amount of sweets," said Dr. Svetlana Novak of South Natick Dental. "It puts so much sugar into your system - it's like a bomb that goes off once a year."

Novak decided this year to participate in the Halloween Candy Buy Back, a national program, for the first time. Her office will be buying candy from kids Monday, Nov. 2, through Friday, Nov. 6, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

In addition to $1 bills, kids will also get samples of dental floss, toothbrushes and anti-cavity gum - as will the kids who arrive on Novak's doorstep on Halloween night.

She puts a basket of dental products and sugar-free candy and gum out for trick-or-treaters, and while hers isn't the most popular house, Novak said the basket is typically empty by the end of the night.

Participating in the candy buyback is another way to fight cavities and tooth decay in kids, which she sees in her practice often, while sending the candy to soldiers who will appreciate it.

Novak isn't advocating for a candy-free Halloween, but tells kids to brush and rinse after they eat sweets. Older kids run into tooth problems by not having proper hygiene routines, while small children can get tooth decay simply by drinking too much juice, she said.

For the staff at Accent Dentistry on Mendon Street in Bellingham, the candy buyback program is more about community involvement and supporting the troops than getting kids to scale back on candy consumption.

"Our concern is with the current military action, supporting the troops and raising awareness," said office manager Jason Kole. "And if it saves kids from having their teeth filled, even better."

The practice already supports troops, by donating the toothpaste and dental floss samples it gets for free. The candy is good for soldiers to have as a treat, but more often is given to the local people soldiers interact with to build relationships, Kole said.

The office joined the candy buyback program just two weeks ago, and has been letting people know about it through word of mouth and by telling other local businesses.

Kole said he has no idea how many people will come to the office's buyback day, on Thursday, Nov. 5, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m, but he's heard that offices in the state have collected anywhere from 60 to 100 pounds in the past.

"We have no idea how many kids we'll get," he said. "But we've got a large scale and lots of $1 bills."

At Wellesley Dental Group on Seaward Road, which has participated in the buyback for several years, kids and parents last Halloween brought in 900 pounds of candy, said Abby Roitman.

"This is a good way for kids to feel good about where their candy is going," she said. "A few pieces of candy is fun, they don't need to be eating bags and bags of it."

The office is collecting candy for two weeks, Monday, Nov. 2, through Friday, Nov. 13, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Many participating dental offices provide their own money to pay kids, and send the candy to Operation Gratitude, which packages and ships the candy overseas, while the Wellesley group sends its candy to Special Kindness in Packages Inc., an East Bridgewater nonprofit organization that sends packages to troops.

In Waltham, Dr. Sally Farzaneh, of Sally Farzaneh & Associates, is also collecting Halloween candy from kids. She plans to donate $5 to the American Heart Association for every pound of candy dropped off at the 212 Charles Street office.

More information on dental offices participating in the buyback can be found at www.halloweencandybuyback.com.