The Best Toothpaste For Dogs Reviewed

Written by Laura Ortega

Taking care of your dog’s health is one of your primary responsibilities as a dog owner. While most people think a lot about what kind of food has the best ingredients for their dogs and when they’ll go to the vet, not everyone spends much time thinking about what kind of doggie toothpaste they’ll be using. In truth, though, taking care of your dog’s oral health either by making sure their teeth are clean from chewing or by brushing after a nice meal is just as important as anything else that you do to care for your dog – such as keeping their ears clean, making sure you shampoo their fur, and even ensuring that they have perfectly manicured nails. Plus, fresh breath is always a nice bonus. To do keep their teeth clean effectively, you’ll need to track down the best toothpaste for dogs.

If you’re looking for dog toothpaste, you’re in luck – we’ve put together a list of some of the best toothpaste products on the market. Not only will you learn a bit about what goes into making a good dog toothpaste stand out as the best, but you’ll also find out exactly where you can go to get the products you need to keep your dog’s mouth clean.

Best Toothpaste For Dogs in 2021

If you’re looking to make sure that you can get your dog’s teeth brushed and breath fresh in the best way possible, you’ll want to make sure that you have access to the right toothpaste. Below are a few of the best dog toothpaste products, ranging from some familiar brand names in the human toothpaste space to some unique blends made just for dogs.

Virbac C.E.T. Enzymatic Dog & Cat Poultry Flavor Toothpaste

When you’re looking for the best dog toothpaste, it’s important that you keep two things in mind at the same time. The first is that you need a toothpaste that will actually be effective at keeping your dog’s mouth clean – after all, a toothpaste that’s not effective is just going to end up being a waste of your time. The other thing to keep in mind is that you need a toothpaste that your dog is actually going to let you use as they have their teeth brushed. Fortunately, this toothpaste from Virbac manages to do both of those things exceptionally well, and that’s why we’ve selected it as the best toothpaste for brushing your dog’s teeth and alleviating bad breath.

This toothpaste is particularly effective because it is formulated to take care of plaque and tartar buildup for both dogs and cats. Given how rapidly tartar and plaque build up on a dog’s teeth during the aging process, this focus is incredibly attractive to many dog owners. Plus, helping freshen your pet’s breath is a nice bonus. It’s also a toothpaste that’s going to be as easy to use on a big dog as a small dog, especially thanks to the poultry flavoring added into the mix. If you’re looking for an easy way to keep your dog’s mouth clean and breath fresh, you’ll definitely want to pay attention to the flavor used in the dog toothpaste. A little extra flavoring in a dog toothpaste really can make your life much easier, and that’s just another one of the reasons that this toothpaste reigns as the best.

It’s also nice to note that this toothpaste formula is very safe for your dog and their teeth. Some dog toothpastes tend to incorporate a foaming agent that helps with cleaning and makes the whole process look more effective but those same agents make it dangerous for your dog to swallow the toothpaste. Since this toothpaste doesn’t have the foaming agents as part of the formula, you don’t have to worry about your dog swallowing during the teeth cleaning process. While a fairly common feature, it’s still one that you want to make sure to get in any toothpaste that is formulated for dogs and cats.

Arm & Hammer Dental Clinical Gum Health Dog Toothpaste & Brush Kit

Sometimes it is nice to see a brand that you already trust when you are shopping for your dog. Arm & Hammer is definitely a well-known brand for people and many already use their baking soda toothpaste to whiten their own teeth and freshen their own breath. While the formula that is used for dogs is a little bit different, it still includes baking soda and it still has roughly the same reputation for dogs that it has for humans. If you’re looking for something that’s going to be able to wash away plaque and tartar while still keeping your dog happy during the cleaning process, you’ll definitely want to take a look at this product.

One of the best things about this product is that it does come with its own doggie toothbrush. Toothbrushes for dogs come in many shapes and sizes but this one is honestly one of the best. It is designed not just to be able to get into every nook and cranny of your dog’s mouth, but it’s also designed to be able to massage your dog’s gums during the cleaning process. This makes the whole ordeal of cleaning your dog’s mouth much more pleasurable for your pet and should turn it into much less of a hassle when you need to get it done.

Of course, the toothbrush for dogs isn’t the only selling point here. The actual toothpaste formula used to clean your dog’s teeth has a lot to recommend it, which is why we’ve voted it as one of the best you can find. It’s designed not just to taste good, but to feel good – the natural herbs in the toothpaste will soothe your dog’s gums as your brush his or her teeth free of tartar and freshen their breath. The taste, of course, is still excellent – most dogs respond well to the chicken flavor and the mint scent will help with your dog’s bad breath. Even the use of baking powder in the Arm & Hammer formula will go a long way towards helping to keep your dog’s mouth and teeth clean of tartar and plaque.

Sentry Petrodex Veterinary Strength Enzymatic Toothpaste (Poultry Flavor)

One of the most important things you can do to help keep your dog’s mouth clean and breath fresh is to make the process of brushing his or her teeth pleasurable. No matter how advanced the formula of the dog toothpaste might be, you won’t get much out of brushing if your dog refuses to let you near his or her mouth. That is why so many toothpaste products pay attention to the flavoring of their formulas and why so many dog toothpastes go out of their way to entice dogs with their taste. This product from Sentry not only works well, but it’s going to be a hit in the flavor department for most dogs, which is why we’ve ranked it highly among the best dog toothpastes out there.

One of the big selling points of this toothpaste for dogs is, of course, the flavor. Like most of the better dog toothpastes on the market, it makes use of a strong poultry flavor to help your dog stay comfortable with the whole mouth cleaning and breath-freshening process. Luckily the flavor doesn’t really do anything to make the toothpaste formula less effective so you’ll be looking at a situation that’s really a win for all involved. The flavor may not be the most important part of the product to you but it will absolutely matter to your dog.

The good news is that this formula does check all the boxes that humans care about as well. It has a unique formulation that helps to stave off tooth and gum disease and as an enzymatic toothpaste it uses special enzymes to fight against plaque and tartar. It’s an ideal toothpaste for dogs who have bad breath as well, so it’s a good fit for many different types of dogs. If you are looking for something that both you and your dog will love, this might be the ideal toothpaste to try out. With a little luck, your dog will actually love the process of having his or her teeth cleaned of tartar.

Nylabone Advanced Oral Care Dog Dental Kit

Nylabone might not be the first brand that you think of when you think of dog toothpaste but it is actually a pretty big player in the world of oral health. This kit from Nylabone can be seen as a great addition to the line because it does the same thing as many of the brand’s toys and chews – it helps to keep your dog’s mouth healthy and free of tartar. The combination of a great dog toothpaste and an excellent dog toothbrush help to make this a perfect first-time purchase for anyone who is looking into ensuring that their dog’s mouth and breath stay just as healthy as the rest of his or her body.

On a basic level, this is a dog toothpaste that does pretty much what all of the leading dog toothpastes do. It has its own special formula to help break down plaque and tartar during brushing, it guards against gum disease, and it will help to keep your dog’s breath fresher than normal. Unlike many of the other dog toothpaste products, it leverages a peanut butter flavor to entice your dog while you’re cleaning out his or her mouth. This can be a really great extra for those who don’t like the smell of chicken flavor or who have dogs that respond very well to the smell and taste of peanut butter.

As a bonus, this product also includes a toothbrush in the packaging. Though it is not as fancy as some, it does have an angled neck – a very nice extra that makes it easier to clean the tough spots in your dog’s mouth while brushing away tartar. If you don’t already have a special toothbrush for your dog, you’re going to come to love this one and you’ll want to use it as long as you can. With a little luck, both you and your dog will quickly come to love how well this product from Nylabone keeps your dog’s mouth healthy and breath fresh.

Vet’s Best Enzymatic Toothpaste and Toothbrush Dog Dental Care Kit

If you’ve never bought dog toothpaste for your dog before it’s usually better to buy a kit than to buy each piece separately. A good dog toothpaste kit is not only going to have an excellent dog toothpaste that will help to keep your dog’s mouth clean and breath fresh, but it will also have a great toothbrush that makes cleaning tartar from your dog’s mouth a little bit easier. If you’re looking for a kit that has both, you’ll absolutely want to take some time to look at this kit from Vet’s Best.

One thing that this kit shares with some of the other brands on the market is that it has a huge focus on not just your dog’s oral health, but on your dog’s health overall. This product attempts to do the best for dogs through including a number of natural ingredients, none of which will upset your dog’s gums, skin, or stomach. This is one of those little added touches that may not necessarily make it better at cleaning your dog’s teeth of tartar, but it will help to make many consumers feel better about using the toothpaste with their dogs.

The toothbrush is also a fairly strong selling point for this kit for dogs. The triple-head feature is one that’s actually better for dogs than most, as it helps to get all the way around every one of your dog’s teeth as you clean off the plaque and tartar. This makes the toothbrush significantly better at getting into nooks and crannies and makes it a great fit for those who tend to miss spots when they try to clean their dog’s mouths. Definitely give this kit a shot if you are looking for a good all-in-one solution that will help to keep your dog’s mouth and breath as clean as possible.

Vetoquinol Vet Solutions Enzadent Enzymatic Toothpaste Poultry-Flavored Toothbrush Kit

Typically speaking, the best dog toothpaste is the one that your dog tolerates. While certain formulas work better than others in lab conditions, the truth is that you’re only going to get good effects when your dog actually lets you clean his or her teeth free of tartar. Fortunately, this kit from Vetoquinol (which includes a finger brush) lets you do a lot of cleaning without requiring you to fight your dog or to sacrifice the quality of the enzymatic toothpaste that you’ve chosen.

On a basic level, this kit works because of the enzymatic toothpaste. It’s a simple formula but it is still one that works exceptionally well. The enzymatic toothpaste is great at fighting plaque and bad breath and it really excels at keeping your dog happy through the process by having a great poultry flavor. As a bonus, this is a toothpaste that doesn’t foam so you won’t have to worry about rinsing off your dog’s mouth when you are done brushing away tartar.

The other big selling point here is the toothbrush. It includes a two-side brush, which means that you’re not only going to be able to use the toothbrush no matter your pet’s size but you’ll also be able to cover broad surfaces and tight spaces with relative ease. This is even a good kit for those who have puppies, as the included finger brush is perfect for dealing with smaller animals. If you’re looking for the kind of kit that’s going to allow you to get your pet’s mouth cleaning no matter what, this is a great product.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I use for dog toothpaste?

The obvious answer here is that you can use a good dog toothpaste to brush your dog’s teeth. These toothpastes tend to be formulated for dogs and are free of the type of ingredients that can hurt your pet. If you don’t want to use one of these toothpastes, though, your best bet is to realize what you shouldn’t use.

Never use human toothpaste for your dog. Human toothpaste is full of agents that can cause your dog health problems if swallowed during brushing, so avoid them whenever possible. If you must use something other than a toothpaste, try to stick simple mixtures like broth and baking soda.

How can I get plaque off my dog’s teeth naturally?

There are a couple of valid answers to this question and it generally depends on what you mean by ‘naturally’. Brushing your dog’s teeth is by far the easiest way to deal with plaque and there are many brands that boast all-natural ingredients. This does require a lot of labor on the part of an owner, though, and some who are looking for natural methods don’t necessarily want to get their hands dirty.

The other path towards cleaning plaque involves makings ure that your dog has something to chew. In this process, the dog will scrape the plaque off of his or her teeth as he or she chews. The best natural choice here is going to be a real bone – you’ll definitely want to avoid something small enough that can splinter, but bones are excellent for scraping off plaque as your dog sits down to enjoy one of his or her favorite teeth.

Does dog toothpaste really work?

Yes, dog toothpaste absolutely does work and it can make a huge difference in your dog’s oral health and freshness of breath. The biggest reason why some might not think that the toothpaste works has little to do with the efficacy of the actual products and more to do with how they use the toothpaste.

The truth is that most who see bad results with dog toothpaste just aren’t using the product correctly while brushing. You need to take a look a the instructions included on the packaging and use the toothpaste in the directed manner. It’s also important to remember that you generally won’t get perfection if you only use the toothpaste a single time. If your dog has never had his or her teeth brushed before, it might be days or even weeks of brushing before you start to see the kind of results that you want. Be patient with the products that you choose, as you might have quite a bit of ground left to make up before things turn around.

How often should I brush my dog’s teeth?

There are actually a lot of different opinions on how often you should brush your dog’s teeth. If you ask a vet who has experience with oral health, they’ll tell you that dogs need to have their teeth brush about as often as humans – that is, twice a day. For great oral health, they’ll tell you that you can get away with brushing your dog’s teeth about once a day if you’re willing to take your time.

If you don’t have that kind of time or your dog doesn’t like having his or her teeth brush, most veterinarians will tell you that you can get away with brushing your dog’s teeth about three times a week. As you might expect, you’ll generally get better results the more regularly you choose to brush your dog’s teeth.

Buying Guide

Though there are some great toothpastes out there, the best one is the one that best fits your dog’s needs. To figure out exactly what toothpaste is going to work best for your dog, you’ll want to take a moment and look at the factors listed in this buying guide.

Ingredients

You’ll always want to start with the ingredients list when you look at your toothpaste of choice. While virtually every dog toothpaste is created with dogs in mind, your dog’s health might have an impact on what ingredients are safe for him or her to use. As such, have a good idea of your dog’s allergies before you apply any kind of toothpaste.

This is also where you’re going to need to think about your own personal preferences. If you are the kind of pet owner who tends to keep your dog on an all-natural diet, you’ll want to stick to those products that only include natural ingredients. Fortunately, there are a growing number of dog toothpastes that rely mostly on a mix of herbs and other natural products to help keep your dog’s teeth clean and breath fresh.

Ease of Use

This is a big one because it’s going to be tough to stick with any toothpaste that your dog simply doesn’t like to use. The first thing to look at here is going to be foaming agents – if the toothpaste uses any kind of foaming agent, you’re going to have to take the extra step to clean out your dog’s mouth every time that you brush his or her teeth. This isn’t necessarily a huge hassle, but it’s one that’s going to be harder with some dogs than others.

The other issue to look at here is taste. Most dogs don’t love the taste of standard toothpastes, so try to look for something that your dog likes. Many brands use a poultry or peanut butter flavor, so try those out to see what your dog likes. You might be surprised by how quickly your dog adapts to having his or her teeth brushed once you find a flavor that your dog actually enjoys.

Goals

Every dog toothpaste has a slightly different formula, so most have their own specific areas in which they excel. As such, you need to sit down and look at your own personal goals for your dog’s health before you buy a toothpaste. You’re not going to be happy if you don’t get the results you want, so make sure that you find something that works.

Stop and think about what you are looking for. If you are looking for something that specifically freshens bad breath, look for products that cut down on bacteria production and have freshening ingredients. If gum disease is a worry, special formulas can help to guard your dog’s gums. Do a little shopping around to find the ingredients that will help you with your goals.

Extras

Finally, make sure that you take a look at the extras that come with any dog toothpaste. This is a bigger deal when you buy your first toothpaste than when you’re buying later packs, but make sure that you get something that has the right kind of toothbrush for you. While you can get a brush from your bet, getting one with your chosen toothpaste tends to be a little easier and a lot cheaper.

In addition to a standard toothbrush, you might want to look at little extras like finger brushes for puppies. These aren’t the kind of things that you’re going to use to determine how healthy a toothpaste might be, but they are little bits of extra value that you can use to differentiate between two toothpastes that might have almost identical ingredients and that are available at the same price point.