Danielle Thomas brings in 70 lbs of candy during last years Halloween Candy Buy Back

By Becky Kimbrell-Norris

Halloween, kids and candy naturally go together — but cavities do not. In an effort to fight cavities this Halloween, Gladwell Orthodontics in Wake Forest is inviting children to take part in a fun candy buy-back program to promote proper preventive dental care.

This is the second year that Gladwell Orthodontics is willing to pay their young patients as well as their families and friends for turning in their excess Halloween treats. Trick or treaters will receive one dollar for each pound of candy turned in, and their goodies will be donated to American soldiers.

“Cavities, especially in young people, can result from too much candy consumed,” said Dr. Jason Gladwell, of Gladwell Orthodontics. “And candies such as taffy, caramels and other chewy things can also break or bend wires and be harmful to orthodontic treatment.

“There is a lot of Halloween candy that doesn’t even get eaten, and if we can trade money for candy and give the candy to our troops, it’s a situation where everyone wins. The parents and the kids love the idea, and this is a just a creative way to encourage healthy teeth.”

The idea for the candy buy-back came from Ashley Woodruff, the treatment coordinator at Gladwell Orthodontics. “I had heard about other dentists doing it and having a lot of success with it so I thought it would be great for us,” she said.

Last Halloween, Dr. Gladwell said, his office received 350 pounds of candy from more than 100 people. “It was a lot more than we expected,” he said.

The children brought in their candy, which was weighed and then put into a huge trashcan before it was taken by Woodruff to an organization in Greenville that sent it to  military bases.

One of Dr. Gladwell’s patients, 13-year-old Danielle Thomas, collected 70 pounds of candy and brought it to the office in a wagon. “She didn’t want the money and even donated half of it back,” Dr. Gladwell said.

“Last year was such a big success and this year we are hoping it will be even bigger,” Dr. Gladwell added. “It’s exciting to see the kids bring in the candy.”

But it wasn’t just the children who participated. Many of Dr. Gladwell’s patients told their friends and neighbors, both young and old, about the event.

Halloween is on a Sunday this year, and everyone, not just patients of Gladwell Orthodontics can donate their treats for cash until the following Thursday.

“I am really looking forward to the response from the community,” Dr. Gladwell said. “It is very nice to be able to do something fun for our patients that also has benefits that extend far beyond our community as well. It seemed like last year that some of the most thankful people were those with family members in the military, and they really appreciated someone thinking of their loved ones.”

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