How do I persuade my vegan son to get his teeth cleaned?

[kately]

Kevin says that they use glycerin to clean teeth and won't go to the dentist for teeth cleaning. What options can I offer him (and educate the dentist at the same time)?

[Erin Pavlina]

Wow, that's a great question!

First of all, some glycerin is vegetable based. Is he sure the glycerin the dentist uses is animal based?

Secondly, for a teeth cleaning, perhaps they can clean the teeth without using any chemicals. A thorough scrub with that machine is better than nothing.

Third, you may want to contact the folks at PETA. I'll be they've had to answer a question like this before. They might be able to help.

Call his dentist and tell them of your concerns and see if he has any solutions. What about using a natural toothpaste for the cleaning?

And lastly, contact companies that make cruelty-free toothpastes and see if they supply anything to the dental industry. Nature's Gate Herbal Cosmetics and Tom's of Maine come to mind.

let us know what you find out!

[VOW]

Without the "preventative care" of cleaning teeth, your son jeopardizes the future health of his teeth.

Vegans need to be able to CHEW. Healthy teeth and (especially!) healthy gums are mandatory.

Ask him what Vegan options he has available for dental fillings, root canals, crowns, and pain killers for extractions?


~VOW

[duckie1978]

As crappy as it is, there are somethings that you can't get around. No dentist I know of uses vegan anything but I need to keep my teeth clean and healthy. I've never even thought of questioning it before. Although one dentist did let my friend bring in their own toothpaste for the cleaning part.