A SWEET BUYOUT

Halloween may be long over, but the cavities caused by its sweets can last far longer. That’s why a Newport Beach dentist decided to buy back kids’ candy to the tune of a dollar a pound, and send it overseas to soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Newport Beach dentist’s office Dover Dental, 601 Dover Drive, drew in 100 pounds of candy, Dr. Kate Sahafi said. Every child who participated got a gift basket in return, complete with advice on how to brush better and avoid the dentist’s drill.

“Because you’re buying it back, the children are so excited to come in and turn in their candy,” Sahafi said. “It’s wonderful to see.”

Where did the candy go? After stripping out the chocolates, which melt in high heat, it was picked up by representatives of the Marine base at Camp Pendleton, where it will be sent on to those in combat zones worldwide.

“It’s so much better than just throwing this stuff away,” she added.

While Dover Dental is mostly aimed at adult dentistry, it has made other outreach to kids in recent months as well, offering free teeth cleanings to children whose parents become patients there. Though this was the first time Sahafi offered a candy buyback, it won’t be the last.

“Hopefully, through word of mouth, this will be even bigger next year,” she said.

— Michael Alexander