In an effort to promote dental health, a Chateauguay dental clinic offers trick-or-treaters the option of cashing in their candy—literally.
In an attempt to avoid the overconsumption of Halloween candy, not to mention promote a healthy mouth and gums, the Centre de Santé Dentaire Dr. Thu Nguyen in Chateauguay has initiated a Halloween Candy Buyback following October 31st. On November 2nd, between 3:30 P.M. and 6:00 P.M. the clinic, located at 185 St-Jean-Baptiste, #300-C in Chateauguay, invites children to trade in their candy for a monetary gift. The clinic will pay children $1 per pound of Halloween candy, with the limit being set at $10 for those very active Halloweeners. Children will also receive a raffle ticket for several prizes that the clinic has set aside for participants.
The clinic, which has been open since 2007, is favourite with families in Chateauguay. McGill graduate Dr. Nguyen, who specializes in orthodontics, and her team decided to hold a buyback for excessive Halloween candy after observing the popularity of the tradition in the United States and Western Canada. While this is only the first year that the clinic will be hosting this event, they plan on making it a holiday ritual. Dr. Nguyen is hoping that the tradition catches on with other clinics in the area. “We sure don’t want to take away the fun from the kids having collected all those candies,’ says Dr. Nguyen. ‘Every year, parents know that too many candies are being collected and that bags of candies lay around all year long until the next Halloween. The goal of this event is to create an opportunity to educate kids about the consequences of sugar over-consumption and to learn about good oral hygiene habits all in a friendly and fun manner.”
Spreading the word via social media and the site’s website, the clinic hopes that children can get excited about the prospect of dollars for candy—as well as keeping those gums and teeth healthy for next Halloween.
