What are the Best Dental Chews for Dogs on the Market?

On this page, we’ve pulled together a list, with the help of our in-house pet nutritionist Laura Ward, of the best dental chews you can buy your dog.

We can’t analyze dog dental chews in the same way we analyze dog food so we’ve tried to keep the chews as healthy and natural as possible — avoiding nasty artificial additives and preservatives while making sure they’re still effective in keeping your dog’s teeth clean.

Are Dental Chews Good For My Dog?

Dental chews are formulated for their dental health function, so they are not designed as a substitute to dog food, and should be eaten in moderation. Some dental chews claim to have added health benefits such as promoting skin health or aiding digestion, but generally, they contain a high calorie content and are not nutritionally balanced. Over-consumption of any chew or treat, can lead to obesity and other health complications.

As with dog treats, dental chews can contain controversial ingredients, which is why we have put together a list of safer recommendations. Some of these may contain ingredients which we usually highlight as being controversial, but these provide the important dental health function needed for a dental chew such as plaque removal.

Do Dog Dental Chews Work?

Our founder, Dr. Mike Sagman, was a dentist and he knew the importance of doggy dental care. Dogs want to be able to chew bones, destroy fluffy rabbit toys and wow people with their adorable smiles — and they need a healthy set of gnashers to do this.

It’s vital you clean your dog’s teeth or get them cleaned professionally because poor dental hygiene can lead to a host of health problems, not to mention the infamous ‘dog breath’.

Dog dental chews help to scrape away plaque and tartar. They can’t replace teeth cleaning but dental chews are an excellent day-to-day addition to your dog’s dental care routine.

(By the way, dry dog food does not clean your dog’s teeth — that’s a myth.)

Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC)

Some people have asked why we feature some products that aren’t on the VOHC’s accepted list. The answer is very simple: the VOHC’s list isn’t comprehensive and its requirements hinder all but the giant brands from gaining approval.

It relies on manufacturers to carry out two clinical trials, something many brands don’t have the means to do. This means the VOHC list comprises mostly brands under multinational companies such as Nestle and Mars.

This isn’t to say the VOHC is without value, but if we limited our list to VOHC-approved products, we’d be ignoring the vast majority of the market.

We can’t test every brand — nobody can, including the VOHC — so we’re recommending chews and treats based mainly on factors we can see such as ingredients and availability. It’s a different approach to our dog food reviews, but dog food is a dog’s main diet and dental chews are not.

The Best Dental Chews for Dogs

Here are our choices for the Best Dental Chews for Dogs. We hope they put a smile on your — and your dog’s — face.

Please note: Some of our recommendations may contain ingredients which we usually highlight as being controversial, but these provide the important dental health function needed for a dental chew.