Best Dog Toothpaste in 2024: Top 6 Options

We know what you’re thinking: You want me to brush my dog’s teeth? Seriously? Yes, we do. And so does your veterinarian. And your dog probably won’t mind it either. Maintaining your pup’s oral health is crucial to keeping their overall health in check. In addition to annual dental cleanings at your vet, your dog needs daily brushing to keep their teeth and gums healthy. Adding the best dog toothpaste to your dog’s daily routine will make a world of difference for their teeth, gums, and breath.

Next time your dog licks your face, take note of their breath. Did it knock you over and make you gag, or was it magical puppy breath? Your dog may never achieve perfect puppy breath, but you can give them a healthier smile if you decide to choose one of our picks for the best dog toothpaste. Throw in a dog-friendly toothbrush with toy rewards, and daily brushing can become a task that both you and your pup will enjoy.

Our Top Picks: Best Dog Toothpaste

Here are the best-performing dog toothpastes on the market:

• Best Overall: Virbac C.E.T. Enzymatic Dog & Poultry Flavored Toothpaste. Creating pet dental products for over 25 years, Virbac’s non-foaming formula is easy to swallow and is available in a variety of flavors.
• Best Taste: Nylabone Advanced Oral Care Natural Dog Toothpaste. Nylabone’s peanut butter flavored toothpaste will leave your dog in bliss.
• Best Natural: Petsmile Professional Natural London Broil Flavor Pet Toothpaste. This is a 100% vegan toothpaste free of sulfates, parabens, gluten, BPA, and silica.  
• Best for Sensitive Tummies: Vetoquinol Vet Solutions Enzadent Enzymatic Poultry-Flavored Toothpaste. A non-foaming formula that’s easy to swallow — what more could you ask for?
• Best for Bad Breath: Arm & Hammer Dental Fresh Breath Enzymatic Dog Toothpaste. Arm & Hammer’s refreshing toothepaste will make dogs and their humans happy — chicken flavored with a fresh minty scent.
• Best Tartar Control: Vet’s Best Enzymatic Dog Toothpaste. This is a great all-around toothpaste for your dog’s oral health. It fights tartar and plaque, whitens teeth, promotes healthy gums, and freshens your dog’s breath. 

C.E.T. Toothpaste has a unique formula that is safe, effective, and appealing to your dog or cat. Contains the C.E.T. Dual Enzyme system to inhibit the formation of plaque. Formulated especially for pets, they contain no foaming agents and your dog can safely swallow them. Flavors are well accepted by pets and make brushing easy.

Nylabone has been invested in doggy dental health since 1955. Nylabone Advanced Oral Care Natural Dog Toothpaste will leave your dog with fresh breath, healthy teeth and gums. Rated highly as one of the best dog toothpaste options, both you and your pup will notice a difference after just once use. It tastes like yummy peanut butter, and what dog doesn’t love peanut butter! It’s formula reduces plaque that harbors bacteria, which will keep your dog’s teeth clean and prevent dental disease.

Prevention is vital when it comes to your furbaby’s oral health! Petsmile Professional Beef Flavor Pet Toothpaste helps ward against cavities, receding gums and gingivitis. Plus, good oral health also helps prevent heart, liver and kidney diseases. This proprietary formula includes Calprox, which dissolves the protein to which plaque, bacteria, and stains adhere. Free of sulfates, parabens, gluten, BPA and silica, this vegan paste leaves your pet’s teeth whiter and gums healthier! To use, simply apply the tasty beef-flavored toothpaste to their favorite toothbrush. This toothpaste is accepted by The Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC).

Vetoquinol has taken great care to engineer a dog toothpaste made for even the most sensitive of tummies. This dog toothpaste features a triple enzyme formula that is effective at removing plaque and polishing teeth. The poultry flavor is a hit with dogs, even the picky eaters. It will not foam up so that it is safe to swallow. No need to rinse! Vetoquinol dog toothpaste combats oral diseases, therefore promoting your pet’s overall health and wellness.

Help clean and deodorize your dog’s teeth and gums with the power of baking soda. Arm & Hammer’s Dental Fresh Breath Enzymatic Dog Toothpaste can kill bacteria as you brush your pup’s teeth, promoting a cleaner, healthier mouth. The toothpaste also helps whiten your dog’s teeth while reducing odor for fresh, clean breath that’s sure to make you smile. This toothpaste has a delicious chicken flavor and fresh mint scent you and your canine companion will love.

This enzymatic toothpaste is veterinarian formulated with a key mix of natural ingredients. It includes aloe, neem oil, grapefruit seed extract, baking soda, and enzymes. This antibacterial and antifungal toothpaste for dogs will fight tartar and plaque, whiten and brighten teeth, promote healthy gums, and freshen breath. The packaging is an easy-to-use squeeze tube that’s perfect for supporting your pup’s dental health between professional cleanings.

What to Look For in a Dog Toothpaste

There are a few critical criteria to consider when choosing the best dog toothpaste for your pup:

• Is it made specifically for dogs? Human toothpaste contains ingredients that will make your dog violently ill, and can be fatal if they ingest enough. Xylitol is an artificial sweetener found in most human toothpaste, but it is toxic to dogs.
• Will my dog enjoy the flavor? If your dog doesn’t go for sweets, avoid flavors like mint, vanilla, even malt. 
• Is my dog sensitive to animal protein flavoring? If your pup has food allergies to a particular protein, avoid toothpaste that uses that protein. A common food allergy in dogs is poultry.

Another important consideration? Whether or not the toothpaste is enzymatic. Enzymatic paste works on contact with plaque and tartar without even having to brush your dog’s teeth. With that said, brushing, in addition to the enzyme-eating toothpaste, will have a bigger positive impact on your dog’s oral health. Do whatever your pup will tolerate and never force it. Otherwise they will not let you brush their teeth in the future and never develop a positive habit.

If you are trying to promote good oral health for your dog, it is best to find a dog toothpaste that your dog will be okay with tasting as well as one that doesn’t contain allergens. If your pup prefers fragrant wet foods and gravies, a beefy, savory toothpaste will be your go-to. Any toothpaste made specifically for dogs — along with a regular toothbrush — will be better for your dog’s teeth and gums than doing nothing at all.

Our Process

Compiling a best-of list can be challenging: deciding on criteria and rating metrics, weeding through hundreds of products, and then articulating the list from a place of knowledge and experience.

This reviewer has several years of veterinary experience and education and can speak intelligently on the topic of dog oral health. Even so, we read hundreds of reviews (both positive and negative) from multiple sources in order to compare data and create our list of the top 6 best dog toothpaste available for purchase.

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