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New Jersey Dentist's Halloween Candy Buyback Held Saturday

TOTOWA, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Parents in North Jersey who want to find something positive to do with all the candy their kids received on Halloween have an option to sell it to a dentist Saturday.

As WCBS 880's Levon Putney reported, taking trick-or-treat candy from kids after Halloween may sound mean-spirited, but Dr. Larry Kaplan sees it as a good deed.

New Jersey Dentist Offers Halloween Candy Buyback

"We want to buy it back from them so they can put that in their piggy bank," Kaplan said.

Kaplan, the founder of Dental 2000 in Totowa, is giving kids $1 per pound.

"Money beats cavities, and also it's healthier to collect money in your piggy bank than get tooth decay," Kaplan said.

And Kaplan is not piling the sweets into a bonfire. He is putting them all to a good use too.

"We're in a free country and people are fighting to keep our freedom," he said.

With that in mind, the kids' candy will be sent to the troops overseas.

"They get all the candy," he said. "Now, we don't want them to get all the cavities, so we have to have them use it in moderation too."

That is Dr. Kaplan's lesson for the kids.

"We tell them to take their favorites and keep it home, and just bring what they don't want here," he said.

Kaplan said too much sugar can ruin people's teeth and health, but a little sugar just tastes good.

The buyback was in progress at the Dental 2000 office in Totowa on Saturday until 3 p.m., and will resume and Monday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.

This year is the seventh annual event.

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