As a vegan, Dr. Helen often gets asked what sort of vegan toothpaste she recommends for her patients.
Toothpaste isn’t actually necessarily for cleaning your teeth—the act of brushing cleans away the plaque. Toothpaste is merely a vehicle for minty fresh flavour and, in cases of fluoridated toothpaste, fluoride delivery for teeth susceptible to decay.
Fluoride is a hot-button issue for some people, and Dr. Helen has a blog and a video on the topic of fluoride specifically and whether or not it’s needed. If you aren’t susceptible to decay and have a healthy diet and you don’t want the added enamel-strengthening benefit of fluoride, then it’s not necessary, and just about any non-fluoridated toothpaste you prefer will do the trick. It’s worth noting that toothpastes that have abrasive cleaning agents, like baking soda, can damage the enamel of your teeth, and should be avoided.
Dr. Helen uses White Glo, as it’s fluoridated toothpaste that contains vegan ingredients, isn’t tested on animals, and is readily available at most supermarkets.
