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Local dentists give troops a treat

Office buys candy from trick-or-treaters, sends it overseas

By Marissa Harshman, Columbian Health Reporter
Published: November 2, 2010, 12:00am

Some local dentists are turning a holiday that tends to contribute to tooth decay into a payday.

The dentists at Adventure Dental, a pediatric dental and orthodontics office in Vancouver, are buying candy from trick-or-treaters and sending the loot to local troops serving overseas. Youngsters can trade in a pound of Kit Kats, Snickers and Hershey bars for $1; whoever brings in the most sweets will win a prize.

This is the fourth year Adventure Dental has held the Halloween Candy Buy-Back, which has grown in popularity each year. The first year, the office collected 70 pounds; last year, it brought in 700 pounds, said dentist Dr. David Neil.

The office then packages and ships the sweets to local servicemen and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Neil, who spent three years in the U.S. Navy serving as a dentist. Most of his time overseas was in Italy.

“When you’re serving overseas, getting anything from home is nice,” he said.

When children bring in candy, they also have the opportunity to write a letter to troops. When 10-year-old Rachel Alajian came into the office with her siblings and cousins Monday afternoon, she took on the responsibility of drafting a letter from the family. She printed the message, “Dear troops thank you for giving us our freedom! God Bless!” in pencil and drew a U.S. flag at the bottom of the paper. Each of the five children signed their names.

Rachel and the others each got to pick out seven pieces of candy they wanted to keep and put the rest in a garbage bag to take to the dental office.

“It was hard for me. I wanted all the lollipops,” 8-year-old Atam Alajian said of selecting his seven pieces.

Together, the kids collected 10 crisp one-dollar bills. Each of them decided they would save their $2.

Seta Timbreza, Rachel and Atam’s aunt, was relieved to get the candy bars out of the house.

“I think it’s great,” she said. “Instead of getting rotted teeth, we’re helping others.”

Neil said the troops eat some of the candy and give some of it to the children they encounter in other countries. Some of the troops also write letters back to the children who send notes, which develops a sense of patriotism among the children at the dental office, Neil said.

“It helps kids not get cavities. They get some cash. And they get some understanding of the conflicts overseas,” Neil said. “This is a fun way to accomplish a lot of good things.”

Other local dental offices also held candy buyback events on Monday. At Adventure Dental, Neil and dentist Dr. Todd Hillyard will collect candy all week. Patients and nonpatients can drop off candy at the dental office, 2501 N.E. 134th St., Suite 105, from 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. (closed for lunch from 1-2 p.m.) through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday.

Marissa Harshman: 360-735-4546 or marissa.harshman@columbian.com.

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Columbian Health Reporter