Trick or Treat, Troops & Teeth

October 21, 2009

Aside from the creepy costumes and crazily cut jack o’ lanterns, if you asked kids what they associate with Halloween, the answer is surely candy. Candy corn, candy bars, candy whatever—for one night, every ghost, ghoul, and goblin’s goal is to grab anything and everything sugary and sweet. And they’re so good at doing this that almost every child collects more than they could or should eat on their own. That’s where we come in.

This Halloween, Smile Zone will be hosting a candy buy-back program that will allow you and your kids to help protect their teeth and support the troops while also earning a few dollars in the process.

Just bring your extra candy to the Smile Zone office on Monday November 2 from 3–6 p.m. We’ll weigh what you bring in for donation and give you $1 for every pound of candy. Then, the candy will be collected and sent to Operation Gratitude—an organization that sends care packages to United States military stationed around the world—to be included in care packages (along with lots of toothbrushes). Plus, every family who visits will get a free gift bag

“We’re not trying to put down trick-or-treating,” said Dr. Hudkins, “we love Halloween. But most kids collect a lot more candy than they can ever eat. This candy buy-back still lets the kids have fun on Halloween, but then they can use some of their candy to bring a smile to someone who is really far from home.”

A little tidbit about sugar to keep in mind: It’s been estimated that Americans consume about 22 teaspoons of sugar a day, which equals 84 lbs. of sugar a year*. Visiting the dentist twice a year and brushing twice a day are good preventative steps, but limiting the amount of excess sugar your kids eat is vital to the health of their teeth. So, trick or treat your heart out on Halloween, then stop by on November 2 to keep their teeth healthier and make our troops happier.