Twin Cities Candy Buy Back: A Civic-Minded Promotion for Orthodontic Marketing & Publicity Gets Everyone Involved.

Candy Buy Back Pays Off by the Pound

As Halloween approaches, Cosmopolitan Orthodontics is generating publicity for their second annual Candy Buy Back program in suburban Minneapolis, St. Paul, MN. They are one of several dental and orthodontic practices around the country that use this attention-getting concept.

It’s a novel orthodontic marketing idea that involves patients, parents, staff and the community, and it promotes good oral health. What’s more, donated candy is sent to American soldiers serving overseas. Here’s what they’re doing.

The buy-back program targets caramel, taffy and the sticky sweets that can damage orthodontic appliances and upset treatment plans. Patients—adults and children—are asked to donate Halloween candy, according to Cosmopolitan’s Dr. Jennifer Eisenhuth, “…to show our soldiers that we are thinking of them and that we appreciate the sacrifices they make."

Tokens for gift cards or other rewards are exchanged for each pound of candy donated. Practice staff members place guesses about the final total. (Last year’s program collected about 800 pounds of candy.)

The buy back is also an oral hygiene teaching moment—an opportune time to remind candy-eaters about the importance of brushing after eating sweets, and steering clear of chewy stuff that can bend wires, dislodge brackets, and damage retainers.

Plus, Cosmopolitan Orthodontics’ candy buy-back program generates publicity for the practice. They caught our attention.