Best Dental Chews For Dogs: No More Stinking Breath
Dogs aren’t able to brush their teeth on a regular basis like we do. But that doesn’t mean they don’t need to take care of their teeth! Healthy teeth are essential to your dog’s overall health because they use them quite often.
Dental chews can provide a lot of great benefits for your dog while saving you the trouble of having to fight with your dog to brush his teeth every night! Read on to find what we have rated as the best dental chews for dogs!
Quick Comparison: Best Dog Dental Chews
| Dental Chews | Quality | Our Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Greenie Canine Dental Chews | A | |
| Twistix Dental Treats | A+ | |
| Bone-A-Mints Wheat-Free Dog Treats | A | |
| Natural Balance Dental Chews | A |
* click on the product name to be taken to Amazon where you can check the current price and read customer reviews.
Below you’ll find in-depth reviews of each of the above products.
The Benefits of Dental Chews
Giving a dog dental chews can help them get many of the same benefits we get from brushing our teeth regularly. Here are some of the ways that they can help:
- Improve bad breath: bad breath happens when bacteria builds up in the mouth. Chewing on a good dental chew will help clean out this build up. Plus, some brands add a minty flavor for instant breath improvement. Even without a mint scent, though, a good chew will fight the bacteria that is causing the bad breath.
- Fight plaque and bacteria: check that your dental chew is VOHC certified to fight plaque. If it is, you know you’ll be helping your dog get strong, healthy teeth. This will help make your dog’s teeth whiter and stronger.
- Manage irritated or bleeding gums: if your dog has swollen or irritated gums, a good dental chew is a great way to help treat this problem. This will prevent tooth loss and make your dog’s jaw stronger.
- Manage pain: dental chews are especially great for puppies who are teething. It helps manage the pain of growing teeth.
Choosing the Best Product
There is no one perfect dental chew that works for all dogs. You have to make the best choice to fit your dog. Here are some things to consider before buying dental chews:
- Dog size: Bigger dogs need harder chews so that they don’t just swallow it in one gulp. Smaller dogs usually need something softer since their teeth are also smaller.
- Personality: does your dog like to chew a lot? Do they chew very aggressively? If so, you need something hard and long lasting. Otherwise, they are going to gnaw their way through it in an instant.
While you can go for a harder or softer dental chew depending on your dog, you don’t want anything that is too easy to eat either way. If they can eat through it as quickly as dog food, it’s not going to have time to work on the teeth.
Make sure your dog isn’t able to chew through the treat too quickly. You want it to take time so that it really gets the benefits advertised. You should also avoid pig ears as these have shown to have none of the benefits that dental chews should provide.
Another thing worth noting is that you don’t just have to stick with treats that are marketed as dental chews. You can also see many of these benefits from giving your dog a bone or other toy to chew on. Just make sure it is safe for your dog to chew.
Editor’s Choice – Best Dental Dog Chews
Finally, here are our top 4 picks.
#1 – Greenie Canine Dental Chews
These VOHC approved treats are super chewy and perfect for smaller dogs and less aggressive chewers. They also smell really nice so you’ll enjoy them just as much as your dog does.
The downside is that they are a bit on the more expensive side and there are some dogs who just don’t enjoy them. You’ll have to experiment to see what your dog likes best.
#2 – Twistix Dental Treats
Larger dogs will love gnawing on these tasty dental chews. They help fight plaque and tartar. Plus, they are wheat free so they’re perfect for dogs with gluten allergies. And the minty flavor helps instantly combat bad breath.
Just be cautious with smaller dogs and dogs who don’t chew very aggressively as they will struggle with these.
#3 – Bone-A-Mints Wheat-Free Dog Treats
These super-powered treats will make both you and your dog happy. They’ve got certified plaque-fighting ingredients and help to massage your dog’s gums. This is ideal if your dog suffers from gum problems.
Plus, it’s got a powerful herbal combination of parsley, mint, fennel, and peppermint so that your dog’s breath will instantly improve!
They are very hard chews so don’t get them if you’ve got a gentle chewer or a smaller dog. You also want to monitor them to make sure they don’t bite off chunks that are too big as it might damage their stomach.
#4 – Natural Balance Dental Chews
These are a softer chew for dogs who don’t chew as aggressively. So if you’ve got an aggressive chewer on your hands, you may want to skip these as they’ll be a waste of money.
But for dogs who take their time, they are absolutely great. Their main ingredients are meat and potatoes so your dog will be overjoyed with the flavor. Of course, that means they don’t give it fresh minty breath. But it does still help control bad breath by fighting bacteria buildup.