Teeth-Cleaning Candy

On a trip to the bank with her father, 7-year-old Alina Morse was offered a free lollipop by a teller. But her dad wouldn’t let her take it because the sugar was bad for her teeth. “I love candy,” says Alina. “So I asked my dad, ‘Why can’t we make a sucker that’s good for your teeth?’” Then Alina did just that.

Five years later, the Detroit native has her own healthy-lollipop company, Zollipops. “My little sister came up with the name,” she says. Now Alina’s teeth-cleaning suckers are sold in major stores and online. 

It took Alina about one year to make her original batch of Zollipops. She did a lot of research on alternative sweeteners, writing everything down as she went along. “If you want to make things happen, you need to write it down,” she says. Alina spoke to her dentist while searching for the perfect ingredients to help keep teeth healthy.

When Alina Morse was 7 years old, she went to the bank with her father. There, a teller offered her a free lollipop . But her dad wouldn't let her take it. He said the sugar was bad for her teeth. "I love candy," says Alina. “Why can't we make a sucker that's good for your teeth?" Alina asked her dad. Then she did just that.

Five years later, the Detroit native has her own company. It’s called Zollipops. They make healthy lollipops. "My little sister came up with the name," she says. Now Alina's teeth-cleaning suckers are sold in major stores and online. 

It took Alina about one year to make her original batch of Zollipops. She did a lot of research. Mostly she studied up on alternative sweeteners. She wrote down everything down as she went along. "If you want to make things happen, you need to write it down," she says. Alina also spoke to her dentist. She wanted to make sure she found the perfect ingredients to help keep teeth healthy.

Alina eventually decided to use xylitol (ZEYE-luh-tahl) as a sweetener. Xylitol is a natural, sugarless sweetener found in many fruits and vegetables. It makes your saliva less acidic. This keeps your saliva from eating away at enamel—the hard, protective coating on your teeth. It also zaps the energy from the harmful bacteria in your mouth that cause cavities.

Once Alina perfected her recipe, she came up with packaging ideas. She presented her candy to buyers at various grocery stores.

"People sometimes underestimate me because I'm young. And they don't always believe me," she says. "It's not all their fault. Candy that's good for you is unbelievable!"

Alina is expanding her line of good-for-you candy with Zaffi Taffy. It will be the first-ever taffy that helps clean teeth, she says.

As for the distant future, Alina has high hopes. "I want to be president of the United States when I'm 40 years old." 

Alina eventually decided to use xylitol (ZEYE-luh-tahl). It’s a natural, sugarless sweetener. The substance is found in many fruits and vegetables. It makes your saliva less acidic. This keeps your saliva from eating away at enamel. That’s the hard, protective coating on your teeth. It also zaps the energy from the harmful bacteria in your mouth that cause cavities.

Once Alina perfected her recipe, she came up with packaging ideas. She presented her candy to buyers at various grocery stores.

"People sometimes underestimate me because I'm young. And they don't always believe me," she says. "It's not all their fault. Candy that's good for you is unbelievable!"

Alina is expanding her line of good-for-you candy with Zaffi Taffy. It will be the first-ever taffy that helps clean teeth, she says.

As for the distant future, Alina has high hopes. "I want to be president of the United States when I'm 40 years old."