Dental Dog Treats
Dental treats are chews shaped and textured specifically to help reduce plaque and tartar build-up through the mechanical action of chewing, rather than being a general treat that happens to be tooth-shaped. Products like Whimzees or Pedigree Dentastix can be a genuinely useful part of a dental routine, but they are a supplement to it, not a replacement for the rest of it.
How dental chews actually help
The texture and shape of a dental chew — the ridges on a Dentastix, or the abrasive surface of a Whimzees shape — is designed to scrape against tooth surfaces as a dog chews, which can help reduce plaque build-up in the same mechanical way a toothbrush does, just less thoroughly and less consistently. The chewing action matters more than any flavour or ingredient added for freshness.
For a dental chew to do anything useful, a dog actually has to chew it properly rather than swallow it in one or two bites — a dog that gulps its treats down whole gets little of the mechanical benefit a slower chewer would from the same product.
What dental chews cannot replace
A daily dental chew is not a substitute for actual tooth brushing, which remains the most effective thing an owner can do for a dog's dental health, nor is it a substitute for a vet dental check. Dental disease can develop even in a dog given dental chews regularly, particularly if brushing never happens at all.
Chews also do nothing for problems below the gum line, which is where a lot of serious dental disease actually develops. If your dog has bad breath that persists, is reluctant to chew on one side, or you notice visible tartar build-up, that is worth a vet check rather than simply adding more dental chews to the routine.
Fitting dental chews into a routine
Most dental chews are designed to be given once a day as part of a dog's normal treat allowance, and it is worth counting the calories in a daily dental chew towards your dog's overall daily intake rather than treating it as separate from food, particularly for a dog that needs to watch their weight.
Combining a daily dental chew with regular brushing, even a few times a week rather than daily, gives a meaningfully better result than either approach on its own — the two work on the problem from different angles rather than doing the same job twice.
In this section
Everything below is in stock with us, priced with delivery worked out, and packed and posted by hand in the UK.
Pedigree DentaStix Daily Large Dog Dental Treats
Daily Pedigree DentaStix dental chews portioned for large dogs
£2.29
Pedigree Dentastix Fresh Daily Dog Dental Treats
The daily dental stick people ask for by name, sized for small, medium or large dogs
From£2.35
Pedigree Dentastix Daily Adult Dog Dental Treats
Daily Pedigree DentaStix dental chews in small and medium dog options
From£2.29
Whimzees Toothbrush Daily Dental Dog Chew
A vegetarian daily dental chew for dogs, shaped like a toothbrush
From£0.69
Pedigree Dentastix Light Daily Dental Chews Dog
Pedigree DentaStix Light daily dental chews for medium and large dogs
£2.35
Dentalife Dental Oral Care Dog Chicken Chews
DENTALIFE chicken dental chews with medium-dog and large-dog variants
£1.65
Forthglade Dental Calming Sticks
Dental chew sticks for dogs with added calming botanicals for evening routines
£2.99
Forthglade Natural Dental Sticks 5pk
Forthglade Natural Dental Sticks 5pk: complementary dog chew with dried potato — 170G
£3.00
Whimzees Stix Daily Dental Dog Chew
WHIMZEES Stix Daily Dental Dog Chew: complementary dog chew with potato starch
From£0.59
Dentalife Oral Care Dental Large Dog Chicken
Twelve DENTALIFE chicken dental chews for large dogs, with label facts
£4.35
Dentalife Oral Care Dental Chew Small Dog Chicken
Twenty-one soft daily dental sticks for small dogs, sized to Purina’s 7 to 12kg guide
£4.35
Bakers Dental Delicious Large Chicken Dog Chews
270G BAKERS chicken dental chews for large dogs, with label details
£2.40
Common questions
- Do dental chews actually work for dogs' teeth?
- They can help reduce plaque build-up through the mechanical scraping action of chewing, but the effect is generally less thorough than brushing and depends on the dog actually chewing rather than gulping the treat down whole. They are a useful supplement rather than a replacement for a full dental routine.
- Can dental chews replace brushing my dog's teeth?
- No. Brushing remains the most effective thing an owner can do for a dog's dental health, and dental disease can still develop in a dog given chews regularly if brushing never happens. Dental chews work best alongside brushing, not instead of it.
- How often should I give my dog a dental chew?
- Most are designed for once a day as part of a normal treat allowance. Worth counting the calories towards your dog's overall daily intake, particularly if they need to watch their weight, since a daily dental chew is a genuine addition to their diet, not a free extra.
- My dog has bad breath even with regular dental chews — what should I do?
- Persistent bad breath, reluctance to chew on one side, or visible tartar are worth having checked by your vet rather than adding more dental chews to the routine. Chews cannot address problems below the gum line, which is where a lot of serious dental disease actually starts.
Related
Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.