Dental Chews

The mechanical action of chewing something with the right texture — firm enough to scrape, not so hard it risks a tooth — is doing most of the work. A dog who chews thoroughly gets more benefit than one who swallows a stick in two bites, so size the chew to your dog rather than always reaching for the same one.

Some chews add a shaped design specifically to increase contact with the back teeth, where plaque tends to build up fastest and where brushing is hardest to do well. Ridged sticks and textured shapes are usually doing this on purpose rather than for looks.

Match the chew to your dog's size and jaw strength rather than their age alone. A chew sized for a small breed will disappear in seconds for a large, determined chewer, which defeats the point and turns a dental product into a quick treat with no scraping time.

A daily dental stick is designed to be part of an everyday routine, given once a day at a similar time. A more natural chew, or a bar-style product, tends to last longer and suits a dog you want occupied for a stretch rather than something habitual.

No chew reaches every surface of every tooth the way a toothbrush and dog-safe toothpaste can, particularly along the gum line, which is where a lot of early dental disease actually starts. Chews are a genuinely useful supplement to a dog's dental care, not a substitute for it.

If your dog has bad breath that doesn't improve, red or bleeding gums, or seems reluctant to chew on one side, that's worth a vet visit rather than trying a different chew — those are signs of a dental problem a chew alone won't fix.