UPDATE: Wayland Dentist Wants Your Candy ... But Not for the Reason You Think

UPDATE: Dr. Putt contacted Wayland Patch on Thursday to let us know that, due to delayed trick-or-treating in nearby towns, he has agreed to extend the Candy Buyback Program until Monday, Nov. 5.

Go ahead, admit it. All that Halloween candy lying around is just too tempting to ignore.

So don't ignore it, donate it. One Wayland dentist is even willing to take it off your hands (he doesn't want to clean it off your teeth, after all).

Dr. Michael Putt at Wayland Dental is participating in a national Halloween Candy Buyback program. Through the program, dentists across the country collect Halloween candy in their communities and donate it to Operation Gratitude, which sends care packages to troops overseas.

Putt said he had wanted to do something for Halloween for some time, but had never found the right program in which to participate. When he heard about the Halloween Candy Buyback program, he decided to give it a try.

"It really resonated with me," Putt said, explaining he learned of the program through a dental industry newsletter. "I'm a veteran myself of the Army. I've definitely been overseas with the military. Being able to do something like this for them is really gratifying."

Putt served from 1997-2000 as a staff dentist with the 3rd Special Forces Group, based in North Carolina.

Wayland Dental will pay children $1 for every pound of candy they drop off, up to five pounds per person.

The candy, along with toothbrushes, of course, will be shipped to troops serving in war zones.

"As a veteran who has been deployed overseas, I can tell you first hand how uplifting it is to get such a care package in the mail," Putt said in an email to patients.

This is the first year Putt has participated in the program, but said he anticipates making it an annual project.

"I just want as many kids as possible to come in with their candy," Putt said. "Maybe they'll get a sense that they're helping. I think that's really the big thing for me."

Wayland Dental will be collecting candy on Nov. 1 from 12 p.m.-6 p.m.