In 2015, Chateauguay ‘s Centre de Santé Dentaire Dr. Thu Nguyen initiated a Halloween Candy Buyback, an original idea meant to promote oral hygiene in children—one that resulted in 60 children trading in their candy for cash last year.
This year, the clinic, located at 185 St-Jean-Baptiste, #300-C in Chateauguay, will carry on with tradition, hosting the event on November 1st, between 3:30 P.M. and 7:00 P.M. In an attempt to avoid a Halloween candy overload, the clinic will pay children $1 per pound of Halloween candy, with the limit being set at $10 for those very active trick-or-treaters. Children will also receive a raffle ticket for several prizes that the clinic has set aside for participants. Nguyen encourages those who can’t participate following Halloween to visit the clinic to take a picture with the clinic’s staff and Halloween props beforehand. Posting the photo to Facebook and tagging the clinic will also get trick-or-treaters a ticket to the draw.
Opening in 2007, the clinic has become a favourite amongst Chateauguay families. McGill graduate Dr. Nguyen, who specializes in orthodontics, decided to hold a buyback for excessive Halloween candy after observing the popularity of the tradition in the United States and Western Canada. “We don’t want to take away the fun from the kids having collected all those candies,’ said Dr. Nguyen of idea. ‘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 their gums and teeth healthy for next Halloween.
