SOUTH HAVEN | Students in Donna Miller's preschool class at South Haven Christian School know all about those sugar bugs.

"If you eat sugar, you'll get sugar bugs in your teeth. They pick out your teeth," said Maria Sosa, 4.

Sugar bugs, it seems, are those tiny critters responsible for putting holes in youngsters' teeth if they don't brush properly and if they scarf down too many sugary treats. That's what the preschoolers learned in class from their teacher and from a pair of guest speakers who talked to them about the importance of brushing regularly, flossing properly and eating the right foods.

Marlene McKee and Sally Skipton, who work out of Laura Hannon's Portage dental office, visited the preschoolers at South Haven Christian School. They brought along a couple of pair of oversized chompers and large toothbrushes to help teach the children how to brush thoroughly.

Four-year-old Tate Wilson giggled as he stood alongside nine other preschoolers to simulate a row of baby teeth. McKee and Skipton used a plastic jump rope and the human "teeth" to show the children the proper way to floss.

Oodles and globs of toothpaste aren't necessary to do a good job of brushing your teeth, Skipton told the children. A bit of toothpaste about the size of a pea should do the trick, she said.

The dental assistants also donned rubber gloves, masks and protective eyewear, so the children wouldn't be scared when they visit the dentist's office and see the staff members dressed like that.

Some of the youngsters told them they had never visited the dentist before. Others seemed to have all of the answers.

"Brush your teeth every day," said Danny Shirley, 4. "You get bugs on them if you don't brush."