Sweet Deal For Halloween

A Georgia dentist is offering kids an inducement to skip those Halloween treats. CBS News Reporter Sam Litzinger has the sugar-coated story of a cash-for-candy program.

The offer from orthodontist Dr. David Carter in Martinez, Ga., is this: Children who bring in candy to his office will receive a dollar for every pound. The idea is to save children's teeth and dental work from sugar and hard candy.

Dr. Carter says reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, and is quick to dispel the rumors that he is after all the candy for his own consumption.

"Besides," he says, "if any of the candy should happen to be tainted in any way, I would be responsible for it. So we decided just to trash it."

Dr. Carter says he knows kids will not give him all their treats. He says that is fine with him; he just wants to make them aware that their teeth are important, and he does not want candy playing any tricks on their dental work this Halloween.

"The whole month of November I'll spend putting braces back on that they knock off with the candy" said Dr. Carter, who noted that he repairs braces for about six patients a day each November.

With his latest idea, Dr. Carter hopes to reach 750 to 1,000 patients and spare them from the pain caused by sticky treats.

"Trust me, they're going to pick out the stuff they feel they can eat," he said, "I'm going to get the really bad stuff. I'd be fooling myself if I thought any child wasn't going to eat any candy. It's just too tempting."