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October 2, 2008
Over 150 Dentists Nationwide to Buy Back Candy from Kids The massive amounts of candy given to kids each year can make Halloween a dentist’s worst nightmare, but Dr. Chris Kammer hopes to turn that notion on its head and remake the holiday into the dental industry’s favorite time of year. His plan isn’t a grinch-like effort to discourage trick-or-treating, but rather a Halloween candy buy back event that simultaneously relieves kids of excess sweets and brightens the day for troops stationed in Iraq. The plan is fairly simple, on Nov. 1 Dr. Kammer will pay children $1 for every pound of candy they bring into his office. Once all the cash is paid out, the mounds of sweets he collects will be shipped out and distributed to American military personal serving in Iraq. The events have been a runaway success at his Madison, Wis. practice and Dr. Kammer is committed to spreading the concept to dental offices across the county. Every year the effort grows, and last year he worked with more than 200 practices from across the country, sharing tips and ideas through an online newsletter. The effort bought up more than 40,000 pounds of goodies and this year he hopes to double that take. “Nothing would please me more than it becoming the automatic thing that dentists do, and I think that’s where we’re headed with this,” Dr. Kammer said. “We’re going to own Halloween.” Setting up a buy back event is not too difficult, but Dr. Kammer and his colleagues have certainly learned a few lessons from their previous experiences with the most important being sure to prepare for an overwhelming response. Children receive so much candy on Halloween that even after picking out the best pieces to eat themselves, they’re likely to have several pounds left over that they’re happy to cash in. “The mothers think you’re brilliant. They’re really happy to have an alternative for the shopping bags of candy that no one needs to eat for the next week,” he said. “On an emotional level, it’s very very powerful. It's powerful on a fun level because it’s like a carnival in your office.” While relieving kids of excess candy is probably good for their teeth, it’s easy to use the event as an educational opportunity. Preparing goody bags with toothbrushes, floss and similar items is a good way to send the children home with more than just cash for their candy. Linking up with other local businesses to help sponsor the event is a way practices can defray the direct costs of buying back the candy and shipping it overseas. Participating practices ship their candy to soldiers in Iraq, where candy is scarce and the abundant sweets often arrive in time for the holiday season. Some practices ship things themselves to units where patients or relatives of patients are stationed, while others partner with Operation Gratitude, an organization that specializes in sending care packages to American troops. The program gives children a chance to feel they’re doing something to support the troops and Dr. Kammer is often amazed at the generosity they show. His practice and many that participate set up a giant card for the children to sign and then send this card on to Iraq with the candy. Dr. Kammer said he’s been especially touched when seeing photos of troops receiving the candy, and has received several phone calls from officers expressing their gratitude. In Iraq the candy isn’t all eaten by the troops, as many of them give pieces to Iraqi children they meet on patrol. Dr. Kammer is quick to point out that the soldiers and the Iraqi children don’t get the mountains of sweets that American children haul in on Halloween and a little candy now and then isn’t a problem. He’s also thinking ahead to a time when the candy won’t need to be sent to Iraq. “We sure hope the wars would end, but there will always be people stationed overseas and away from their home during the holidays,” he said. The events are good for the children’s teeth, make a positive impact on the troops overseas, and also provide a benefit to the practices involved. Each year Dr. Kammer gets more media coverage for the buy back event and he believes every dental office can run a similarly successful buy back program, regardless of specialty. His practice focuses on elective cosmetic procedures and doesn’t have many child patients, but Dr. Kammer said his office is filled with kids every Nov. 1, and many of them are children of patients or bringing in parents who might be future patients. The way he sees it, spreading this idea to other dental offices is an important component of his effort, and the key to taking back Halloween for dentists. “It makes so much sense. It’s the best PR experience of my dental life,” he said. “I wanted other dental offices to have the fun and get the notoriety from doing something so dentally positive.” To sign on to the Halloween candy buy back effort and receive newsletters filled with helpful tips on how to run a successful program, visit www.dentalproshop.com/halloween.
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