Halloween is one week away and that means kids will be getting candy! In many cases, they will get enough to share with others and there's a great way that candy can help kick off the holiday spirit of giving back this Halloween. Dr. Remi Sarna is a dentist with our friends at Bright Side Dental and Orthodontics and joined Jason Carr and Tati Amare in the studio to talk about the program called Candy Buy-Back For Operation Gratitude. Operation Gratitude creates care packages for the troops, veterans and first responders. Sending them candy gives them a taste of home and special treat to let them know people care. Here's how it works: Kids donate their Halloween candy at any Bright Side Dental and Orthodontics location and for every pound of candy, they receive a raffle ticket for all kinds of prizes which include a Nintendo Switch Fortnite Edition and Beats headphones, There are prizes for adults who may want to donate leftover candy as well. Last year alone, they collected 9,000 lbs. of candy.
As for keeping your kids' teeth healthy with all that Halloween candy, Dr. Sarna recommends limiting candy to one or two pieces as dessert and not allowing kids to snack on it all day. Also, avoid candy that takes a long time to eat such as hard candies and lollipops to limit the time their teeth are exposed to the sugar.
For more information on all that Bright Side Dental and Orthodontics offers, their locations, and to donate candy to Candy Buy-Back For Operation Gratitude visit their website brightsidedental.com.