McCLATCHY-TRIBUNE

       Holidays mean sweets -- there's no getting around it. But with a little extra attention, you can help your kids keep their teeth clean and healthy, even after they've gorged on sweet treats.

    Here are some tips from the American Dental Association and Sheri Bell-Rehwoldt, author of You Think It's Easy Being the Tooth Fairy? (Chronicle Books).      

• Experts recommend giving your child a glass of water or milk, or offering crisp fruits and vegetables, after indulging in sweet treats to help rinse sugar away from the teeth.      
• More fluid, easily dissolvable candies such as chocolate are better for children's teeth than gummy and hard candies.      
• There is no substitute for proper brushing and flossing after eating sweets, and on a regular basis.      
• Only a smear of toothpaste (as big as a pea or less) should be put onto the toothbrush. You need to put the toothpaste on yourself until the child can do it properly.      
• Try not to let your children eat or swallow toothpaste after brushing.      
• Parents need to supervise the use of toothpaste and brushing of teeth by their children until their children are about 6 years old, though kids may not have developed proper skills of cleaning their own teeth until they are 8 or 9.