DRAPER, Utah (ABC4 News) - A Draper dentist is offering to buy back your kids Halloween candy. With the holiday less than two weeks away, he is gearing up to give out a dollar a pound and then he wants to send the sweets to the troops. But will the plan work?
When we met five year old Oscar Johnson, the kindergartener told us that he loves gum and candy bars. But he said he won't be overdoing it on Halloween.
"My dad always lets me eat one piece of candy on Halloween," Oscar says.
That's because his dad is his dentist. And Dr. Christopher Johnson says this year he is hoping to inspire all kids to cut back on the candy.
"I'm certainly not against candy, but I'm for it in moderation. I'm a dentist and I've seen what bad candy diets can do for kids teeth," he says.
Here's his plan: bring your kids Halloween candy to his office, Dr. Johnson will weigh it, pay out a dollar per pound and then send the treats to the troops. He's hoping his campaign will even push parents to make the holiday less about sugar.
But if you are still set on buying sweets at the store to hand out on Halloween, Johnson says try to steer clear of sour or acidic treats that attack tooth enamel, instead buy chocolate.
"Some of the better candies? Literature shows that chocolate is one of the better candies as far as tooth decay."
Good news for Oscar, he plans to have a little chocolate on Halloween. And his dentist says that's fine, just save those little teeth by sticking to that little amount.
"This gives moms an option. Kids can select a few items of candy they want, and then sell the rest to me," Johnson says.
Dr. Johnson also advises to have a time set aside for eating the candy and then put it away. If kids are allowed to graze all day it doesn't give their teeth time to recover. For more the date and time of the candy buy back go to www.southmountaindental.net
