With Christmas just around the corner, it’s the right time to make sure you’ve gotten all the gifts and stocking stuffers you need for the kids.

Here’s a suggestion. With so much candy and other treats around the holidays, why not give the gift of oral health to your kids this Christmas? Here are three stocking stuffers that should do the trick!

1) Electric Toothbrush

How about a nice electric toothbrush (solid-head, of course) in the stocking this year? For younger kids, electric toothbrushes are a good choice, because they rotate 3,000 to 7,500 times per minute.

All that extra action can remove plaque that kids don’t have the strength or patience to get to. In some cases, you can also pair up the electric toothbrush with apps that play two minutes of music, track your habits, and offer oral care tips!

2) Candy or Gum with Xylitol

Do your little ones have a sweet tooth? If you want to let them indulge themselves with treats, but you don’t want them to get the resulting cavities, you might try sneaking some candy or gum with xylitol in their Christmas stockings this year.

The harmful bacteria view xylitol as ordinary sugar, but can’t digest it or secrete the acid that erodes your enamel afterwards. The result? Significantly less tooth decay–like 50 to 75 percent less! You can find Xylitol in candy, suckers, and mints.

3) Funny-Flavored Toothpaste

It can be hard to get kids interested in brushing their teeth, but there are actually some funny-flavored toothpastes thatmight change their mind. If they’re bored with the same old mint-flavored toothpaste, why not expand their horizons with bacon-flavored, cupcake-flavored, pickle-flavored, or even Oreo-flavored?

These toothpastes should be just as effective as the “normal” brands, but if you want to make sure before you get them, feel free to ask me!

I hope these tips for oral health stocking stuffers are helpful to you. I look forward to seeing some kids with bright smiles after Christmas!

Making your teeth a work of art!