Moses Lake dentist pays for Halloween candy

Excess treats shipped to soldiers in Iraq

MOSES LAKE - Any candy that doesn't get consumed on Halloween, a Moses Lake dentist wants.

For the first time, Dr. Craig Harder of Moses Lake Family Dentistry is participating in a three-year-old program across the country. The program was spearheaded by a friend, dentist Chris Kammer in Middleton, Wis., in which dentists pay money for excess Halloween candy.

About 150 to 200 dentists will pay $1 for every pound of unopened candy turned in the day after Halloween. The goal is to collect 1 million pieces of candy, the equivalent of 33,300 pounds. The candy is then shipped overseas to armed forces members in Iraq.

Candy will be collected at Moses Lake Family Dentistry Thursday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The candy must be unopened.

"One of the best ideas I ever heard from a parent was they would let their kids have all the candy they wanted that first night, and then after that, they took the candy from them and gave it away," Harder said. "To me, that's great: Let's let the kid have their fun one day."

There's no scientific determinant for "enough" candy, but Harder said the biggest way to prevent cavities is to not have candy continually every single day for a few weeks at a time.

"Let's let them have a good treat that first night and then let's save some teeth after that," he said. "When we really start to see it is a few months down the road after Halloween. One of the funny things we see a lot of is problems with adults after Halloween because they've been pulling off crowns with their sticky taffies."

A scale will be on hand to weigh the candy. Glowing electric toothbrushes will also be handed out at the event.

Harder has been in Moses Lake for 11 years. The dentistry office has been in its current location, at 975 E. Nelson Road, for five years.

"We see a lot of kids in our practice, probably see more children than anybody else in town, so this is kind of a good fit for us," he said.

Harder says he is the only dentist in Moses Lake participating.

"We just love the idea of it," he said. "It's a great thing for kids and also, of course, getting some treats to the troops down the line. It just sounded like a great idea."

For more information, call Harder and his staff at 509-765-4351.

What about the soldiers' dental health?

People may be wondering about the teeth of the the soldiers who will receive the candy shipped to them.

Middleton, Wis.-based dentist Chris Kammer, who spearheaded the nationwide effort to collect the candy from youth has the answer.

"These troops are getting shot at, and their lives are on the line every day, " Kammer stated. "If a little piece of candy can give them a moment of joy, I'm all for it."