Portsmouth Orthodontist Trick-or-Treating for Troops

Written by Bill Rupp 

Portsmouth orthodontist Jordan Jaffe wants your Halloween candy again. Call it his way of trick-or-treating for the troops.

It’s Jaffe’s third annual “Halloween Candy Buy Back.” He will buy up to 5 pounds of your trick-or-treat stash for $1 a pound to send to American troops serving overseas through Operation Gratitude. 

Just stop by his Portsmouth office at 31 King Charles Drive on Monday, Nov. 4, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

“We have collected over 300 pounds of candy in the first two years,” Jaffe said. “After collecting the candy, we sent it to Operation Gratitude, which makes packages and sends them to troops serving around the world.” 

The obvious benefit of buying back his patients’ candy is that kids with braces on their teeth will not eat the candy they are not supposed to. The candy won’t go to waste, though, if it’s sent to troops who will really appreciate it, he said.

“Even for kids who don’t have braces,” Jaffe said, “we are attempting to send a message about healthy choices.”

Isn’t the candy bad for the troops as well? Yes, but with several qualifiers, he said.  

“First, the candy is a ‘sweet’ reminder of home, and the tradition of Halloween,” Jaffe said.  

“Second, it is a nice statement that kids in this country are willing to give up their candy to show appreciation for what our troops are doing,” he said.

“And third, the troops are adults who know how to care for their teeth -- not children who are just learning to brush and floss properly,” Jaffe said. 

Finally, he said, Operation Gratitude is also collecting toothbrushes -- 100,000 of them -- to send along with the candy. 

“We here at Jaffe Orthodontics actually love Halloween,” Jaffe said. “It is fun to get dressed up and the tradition has become as American as apple pie. Believe it or not, we also love candy just like everybody else.”

Jaffe has been known to sneak a piece of candy from time to time. 

“The point is everything in moderation, and to establish good oral hygiene practices including brushing after eating sweets,” he said.

You don’t have to be a patient of Jaffe Orthodontics to sell your candy for the troops.  Jaffe will buy it back from anyone who stops by his offices.