checkups dental dog treats vs greenies

Best Dental Chews For Dogs: Teeth Cleaning Treats For Bad Breath & Are Greenies Good For Dogs?

The moment I walk in the door, my dog jumps on me and gives me all the puppy kisses in the world. How sweet, but wow, her breath stinks! My pup is just trying to show me how much she missed me, but Im not enjoying the affection because its so smelly. Thankfully, Ive found the best dental chews for dogs to help with this stinky situation. Not only can they freshen your pups breath, but they can also help with gum health and reduce plaque and tartar build-up.

A word of warning: Chronic bad breath in dogs is NOT normal. If your furry friends breath is usually stinky, its most likely a sign that she has dental disease. This requires a consultation with your vet to get her dental health evaluated and any necessary treatment to help prevent disease progression.

Before You Give Dental Chews For Dogs

Make sure there is always fresh drinking water available when you give your dog one of these treats. Also, be sure to monitor your dog and dont leave her alone while shes eating a treat in case she bites off too large of a chunk and has difficulties.

Best Dental Chews For Dogs: Greenies vs Dentastix

What are the best dog dental chews? It really depends on your dogs preference, eating habits, and dental needs. Two of the best dental treats for dogs are Greenies and Pedigrees Dentastix, but which one is better?

I compared these dog dental chews against one another. Greenies are known for their minty taste, and Dentastix comes in more traditional dog treat flavors (in addition to fresh). Dentastix are less expensive but tend not to last as long as Greenies.

Greenies Dental Dog Treats & Dog Chew Review

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These Greenies dental sticks for dogs help fight plaque and tartar build-up to keep your dogs oral hygiene in check. If they love to give you lots of kisses, youll like these too since they help with bad breath. These natural dog chews are low-fat and include vitamins to keep your pup healthy.

Are Greenies good for dogs? Yes, they can help maintain healthy teeth and gums when used correctly. However, if dogs eat them too quickly, they can swallow sharp pieces and hurt their throat or internal organs. So its crucial to keep an eye on your pet while enjoying this or any chew or toy.

Our First-Hand Experience With Greenies

Greenies are pricier than Dentastix, but we found they work slightly better for our dog Lexie. They are harder and thus last a little longer. She goes crazy over these things, but its only effective (and safe) when she takes her time versus swallowing it quickly.

Sadie Cornelius, parent to a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

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Pedigree Dentastix Dental Dog Treats Review

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Pedigree Dentastix has a patented x shape to help with plaque and tartar build-up. They are available in multiple flavors, so hopefully, you can find one that your dog loves. Give your dog one treat a day to get that pearly white smile for maximum effectiveness.

I use Dentastix for my dog, Sally. She can get some gnarly breath, and these have helped reduce the smell drastically. Our vet always comments on how great her teeth are too. We like the Fresh ones instead of the Original or Beef Flavor ones because we find the mint smell more pleasing than the others. However, Sally gobbles down any of them within seconds!

Price

32 Pack: $14.95 ($9.01 / lb)

Best Monthly Dental Kit: BARK Bright Review

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Make sure you always have your dogs daily dental needs on hand with the BARK Bright Dental Kit. This subscription-based service delivers high-quality doggy toothpaste and grain-free dental chews to your door every month so you never run out. Even better, the toothpaste requires no brushing; you simply squeeze it into a groove on each chew, and your pups chewing will do the job for you.

Although the chews only come in chicken flavor, I love that they offer durable, long-lasting dental sticks for aggressive chewers in addition to regular dental sticks. And you can add the BARK Bright Dental Kit to the companys BarkBox or Super Chewer subscription for a regular delivery of dog toys.

BARK sent me some for Sally to test out. The kit included 30 daily chews and one tube of triple enzymatic toothpaste. Unlike the other chews, these are used with toothpaste on them. After the 30 days, Sallys breath was unnoticeable, which is exactly what I like. She loved the treats and I enjoyed her kisses more.

Our Personal Experience With BARK Bright

Daisy loves the taste of Durable Chews with the chicken toothpaste. She happily gobbles them down, and we noticed a significant change in her breath. The effects on her breath last, even after just a few days of use. Unlike other dental chews, it does not feel like the product is simply covering up bad breath. Overall, her mouth seems much cleaner. Daisy has also tried the Original Chews and chicken toothpaste, but she likes the flavor of the Durable Chew better. However, my smaller dog, Falkor, a Poodle Beagle mix, enjoys the Original Chew, which has a different smell. I have also not noticed as much improvement with the breath as the Durable Chew.

Danielle DeGroot, rescue dog parent

Price

You can sign up for a month-to-month, 6-month, or 12-month subscription. All products are the same price regardless of the size your dog needs.

In-Depth BARK Brite Review

Be sure to read our full review of BARK Bright for more details, including before and after photos and video of our experience.

Best Vegan: v-dog Breath Bones

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If your dog is on a special vegan diet or you are just looking for an eco-friendly alternative, v-dogs breath bones might be a good option for you. Their chewy sticks are made with brown rice flour, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, cinnamon, chia seesd, broccoli, parsley, spinach, alfalfa, and natural sources of DHA from alga. They offer regular 4 bones and mini 3 bones for smaller dogs. Keep your dogs mouth clean and smelling fresh with peace of mind for their well-being (and the planet).

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Our Personal Experience With v-dog Breath Bones

Our dog is obsessed with the v-dog jerky, he goes crazy every time we give it to him. We usually put it inside a Kong to make it a challenge to eat since he devours it so quickly. It doesnt have any odor and is soft but not messy. We also recently started using v-dogs breath bones to help with his bad breath. A bit skeptical at first, he warmed up and was a big fan. We are too, since it lasted a good 30 minutes. We noticed a bit better-smelling mouth afterward and plan to give him one daily now at the end of the day. The regular sized were a bit big for him, but he managed to carry it around and hold it with his paws. It didnt smell, and love that we found a solution that is natural and meat-free for him to help combat tartar and smelly teeth.

Sadie Cornelius, parent to a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

What About Whimzees, Virbec & More?

Here are some alternatives to Greenies, Dentastix, and Bark Bright that might be better options, especially if your dog is gluten-intolerant.

Blue Buffalo Dental BonesReview

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The Blue Buffalo dog dental bones are available in different sizes, from small to jumbo. The treats are textured to help soothe your dogs sore gums, which are great for when she is teething. They only come in one flavor, but their product is gluten-free, unlike Greenies and Dentastix. So if your dog has a wheat allergy, this could be a good option for you.

Included is DHA to help with cognitive development, Taurine for a healthy heart, and vitamins for her immune system. Like most dental chews, these will clean your dogs teeth and give them fresh breath.

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Whimzees Toothbrush Dental Treat For Dogs Review

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Whimzees dog teeth cleaning treats are toothbrush-shaped and made of vegetables with no added chemicals. They help freshen your dogs breath while fighting plaque and tartar build-up. These treats are low-fat and high in fiber.

Our Personal Experience

We love these Whimzees chews that our dogs dentist gave us to try out after Barleys last dental cleaning. They last longer than others we have tried, so theyre a bit more like a bone than a treat. Barley goes through other dental chews in less than two minutes, but these take him more like 4-5 minutes!

Michelle Schenker, pet parent to two rescue dogs

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Virbac C.E.T. Veggiedent FR3SH Review

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Virbacs tartar control chews for dogs help eliminate and control plaque using select plant-based ingredients. They are gluten-free and have a probiotic that aids in digestion and intestinal health. They come in a unique Z-shape design that scrapes the tartar off teeth while chewing.

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Water Additive Options

If dental sticks do not seem to be working or you want extra protection, you could try this product that you simply add to your dogs water bowl.

Oxyfresh Water Additive Pet Dental Care Review

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Oxyfresh claims to fight tartar, plaque, and gum disease. This is another easy way to clean your dogs teeth between brushing (like mouthwash for humans). All you do is add a capful to your dogs drinking water each day. The liquid is odorless and tasteless, so your dog wont notice its there.

I suggest you check with your vet before giving this to your dog to ensure it wont conflict with any other health issues.

Our Personal Experience With Oxyfresh

We purchased Oxyfresh for our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel after hearing good things about it. We use it daily with our dogs water, and it only takes a little droplet in each bowl of water. Georgie doesnt even notice its in there! We do it more as a preventative measure, along with regular brushing and wipes.

Sadie Cornelius, parent to a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

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TEEF for Life Protektin42 Review

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TEEF for Life sent me some of their products, including the Protektin42 and Protektin42+K water additives. Im impressed by the reusable glass jar packaging for the water additives. They come with a pre-measured scoop and you can reorder refill powder packets at up to 20% off. I like that the product is made in the U.S. and the company is conscious of its carbon footprint.

The Protektin42+K aids in dental and kidney care. Products are created by microbiologists and made with 100% human-grade, prebiotic ingredients. After about three days of using the Protektin42+K, Sally started having a lot of GI issues. She needed to go potty frequently and was having diarrhea multiple times a day. She even went poop on our door rug in the middle of the night, which she had never done before. We stopped using the water additive immediately. I cant guarantee that this is what caused the issues for Sally, but it is the only change we made in her diet, and she didnt get into anything she shouldnt have.

However, all dogs respond differently to products, and this is just one experience. I tried to find additional customer testimonials and found fewer than ten listed on any websites that had TEEF products for sale. Of those testimonials, the majority of them were positive. I saw no mention of GI issues for dogs who used TEEF.

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Dog Dental Health Matters

While dental chews can help to keep plaque at bay, theyre no substitute for brushing your dogs teeth to prevent infections and gum disease. And most vets recommend daily brushing. I know it can be hard to convince your dog of the value of this activity, so our team put together a dog teeth-brushing guide to help guide you through this sticky situation.

This video from Greenies has some stats that show us why its important to give our dogs dental chews and keep their teeth clean.

Best Pet Insurance For Dental Needs

If your dog is predisposed to dental issues, you may want to consider pet insurance. However, not all pet insurance covers the same dental conditions. You can learn all about which company we recommend for pet dental insurance. If you want to dive in deep, you can read our comparison article, including detailed information for multiple pet insurance companies.

Are Dogs Mouths Cleaner Than Humans Mouths?

Weve all heard it. Dogs mouths are cleaner than ours. Some of us believe this, while others think its a bunch of malarkey. Is their saliva cleaner than ours? It can be hard to believe since they get into, lick, and sometimes eat some not-so-good things.

Some veterinarians say its not true that dogs mouths are cleaner, but most of the bacteria found in a dogs mouth wont harm humans. So, if you want to kiss your pup go ahead! Just make sure they are up to date on all their shots and parasite control medications.

Check this out if you are looking for other ways to get rid of your dogs bad breath or if youre curious about how many teeth your dog has. If youre looking for treats to reward your dog, we have you covered as well.