There are lots of healthy smiles brewing at A Downtown Dental Group this Halloween, where Dr. Wilfred Miyasaki and his staff are planning their annual Halloween Candy Buy Back event.

On Nov. 1 — the day after Halloween — Miyasaki will pay $1 in cash for every pound of Halloween candy brought to his Downtown office between noon and 2 p.m.

"Children typically get way too much candy when they go trick or treating,"said Miyasaki, who has held the buy-back program for three years.

A trend that has gained popularity in dental practices nationwide, Halloween Candy Buy Back programs typically send boxes of treats to active-duty military overseas through Operation Gratitude, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to sending care packages to the troops.

This year, Miyasaki plans to extend the program to include disaster victims.

"It was initially for the troops overseas, but this year I'll be donating a lot, especially the healthy candy, to the families affected by the flooding in the Philippines and the tsunami in Sämoa," said Miyasaki, who defines "healthy candy" as granola bars, energy bars, nuts, raisins and peanut butter.

"I think for families that lost their homes and need food, anything will be helpful for them," he said. "We'll just donate whatever we get."

Last year, A Downtown Dental Group collected more than 200 pounds of candy during its buy-back event.

"If you leave all that candy at home, children will just eat it," Miyasaki said. "You can keep a bag at home — as long as it's not too big — but if you're eating it for days and weeks, it can be bad for teeth and cause cavities. It's just not good for your health in general."

Miyasaki will distribute free toothbrushes to each person who donates. Plenty of toothbrushes will also accompany the boxes of treats overseas.

A Downtown Dental Group participates in several charity events each year, including free dental work for needy Honolulu residents on Valentine's Day; "Smiles for Life," which provides free teeth whitening in exchange for a donation to charity; and "Give Back a Smile," a program to restore the smiles of domestic violence victims.