Dental disease is the problem owners find hardest to act on, because nothing appears to hurt until it does, and almost no dog will sit still for a toothbrush twice. A gel you can pump onto the teeth and gumline sidesteps the argument entirely. It is not as good as brushing, because nothing is, but a gel used daily beats a brush used twice a year, and that is the honest comparison for most households.

The gel goes straight onto the teeth and along the gumline, which is where plaque forms and then hardens into tartar. Working it in with a finger, or letting your pet lick and spread it, gives it contact time, and contact time is the whole mechanism. Used every day it helps slow soft plaque before it mineralises. Once tartar has gone hard and yellow at the gumline, no gel will shift it and it needs a vet with a scaler.

• 100ml pump bottle
• Helps reduce plaque and tartar build-up
• Freshens breath
• Applied directly to teeth and gums, with no brushing
• Suitable for dogs and cats
• Designed for daily use

Being straight about what this does. A gel slows new plaque. It does not remove tartar that has already formed and it will not treat gum disease that has taken hold. Breath that keeps turning bad, red gum margins, chewing on one side or dropping food are all signs for the vet rather than reasons to apply more gel.

Who it's for: Owners of dogs and cats who will not tolerate a toothbrush but will tolerate a finger, and who would rather start a routine before there is a problem.