Should you brush your dog's teeth or give dental chews?

Do both, because they clean different teeth. Brushing cleans the front teeth, and chewing cleans the back teeth. A dog that only gets dental chews has front teeth nobody cleans. So brush the front teeth a little every day, and give a safe dental chew for the back.

Key Takeaways

• Brushing cleans the front teeth and chews clean the back teeth, so your dog needs both.
• Brush a little every day. Plaque builds up again within a day.
• Buy a soft brush, and choose a chew you can dent with your fingernail.

Brushing and chewing do different jobs

The global vet dental guidelines say brushing works best on the front teeth, and chewing works best on the back teeth. It makes sense: a brush reaches where your hand can easily go, and chewing happens at the back of the mouth.

So a dog on dental chews alone has front teeth that never get cleaned. A dog brushed only at the front has back teeth that never get cleaned. The biggest tooth at the back, used for heavy chewing, is often where gum problems are worst.

Brush every day, briefly

You'll often see two or three times a week recommended. The vet guidelines say daily, because plaque comes back within a day.

A trial compared brushing every day, once a week, and not at all. Weekly brushing reduced tartar, but only daily brushing improved gum health. Tartar is what you can see. Gum disease is what eventually costs a tooth.

In practice, twenty seconds on the front teeth every night beats five careful minutes on a Sunday.

What to buy

A soft toothbrush matters most. The Beaphar double-ended brush at Rs 180 has a large head for the front teeth and a small one for the back.

Toothpaste mostly helps your dog accept the brush. The bristles do the cleaning. The Trixie mint paste at Rs 216 is fine, and there's no need to spend more unless your dog won't take it. Never use your own toothpaste. It's made to be spat out, and a dog swallows it.

Choose a tested dental chew. Of the dental chews we sell, only one product line has passed independent testing for plaque and tartar: Virbac Veggiedent, from Rs 441. The others may help, but nobody has published tests showing it.

Whatever chew you choose, press your fingernail into it first. If it doesn't dent, it's hard enough to crack a tooth.

Dry food doesn't clean teeth

Many people believe kibble scrapes teeth clean. The vet guidelines say standard dry food doesn't help dental health.

Many dogs in India eat soft home food like rice, curd and roti. An Indian survey found gum disease was most common in dogs on soft diets. That isn't a reason to switch to kibble. It means a soft-fed dog needs brushing and chewing, because its food does none of the work.

Water additives and drops

Some water additives have passed independent testing, but none of the ones we sell have. Savavet Orapet drops at Rs 349 are better than nothing if your dog won't accept a brush or a chew, but they don't replace brushing.

When to see a vet

If your dog's breath turns really bad, a tooth looks discoloured, or your dog avoids chewing on one side, it's time for a vet. Brushing slows plaque, but it can't treat gum disease that has already set in.

We're on the ground floor in Gachibowli. Bring your dog in and we'll show you how to hold the brush and where to angle it. It takes a minute.

The research behind this

Which teeth each method cleans. The WSAVA Global Dental Guidelines, written by veterinary dentists from nine countries, state: "It has been shown that active homecare is most effective on the rostral teeth (incisors and canines). In contrast, passive homecare (chew based) is more effective on the caudal teeth (premolars and molars)." On frequency: "Daily homecare is recommended since plaque accumulates in 24 hours." On food: "Standard dry dog food is not beneficial for oral health." On toothpaste, veterinary pastes "greatly increase the acceptance of the toothbrush by the pet".

Daily against weekly brushing. A randomised two-month trial compared no brushing, weekly brushing and daily brushing. On tartar, "both weekly and daily brushing resulted in significant reductions". On gum inflammation, "only daily brushing resulted in a significant reduction".

Population: 160 racing greyhounds, UK, randomised two-month trial, published 2021. Source: Rooney and colleagues, Animals (Basel), 2021.

Starting scores were 1.19, 1.03 and 1.01 respectively, so the unbrushed group started highest and still got worse. These were kennelled racing greyhounds brushed by trained staff, not pet dogs brushed at home, so the trial points the way rather than predicting what happens to your dog.

Tested products. The Veterinary Oral Health Council's accepted list for dogs includes "C.E.T. VEGGIEDENT FR3SH Chews for Dogs, all sizes", accepted for plaque and tartar. Pedigree Dentastix appears on the list as "Dentastix Advanced" and a set of UK packs, which are not the Dentastix Oral Care packs sold in India. The toothbrush entry is a specification rather than a brand: "ADA-compliant soft-bristle, flat head toothbrush".

Diet in India. A 2025 survey in the Indian Journal of Veterinary Medicine recorded periodontal disease in 83.44% of dogs, highest in dogs fed a soft diet. The abstract does not say how many dogs, where or over what period, and we could not access the full text, so treat the percentage with caution.

The fingernail test. Cornell's Riney Canine Health Center: "you should be able to make a dent in the item with your fingernail."

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I brush my dog's teeth?

Every day, even briefly. Plaque builds up again within a day, and in a trial only daily brushing improved gum health.

Can I use human toothpaste on my dog?

No. Human toothpaste is made to be spat out, and dogs swallow it. Use a toothpaste made for dogs.

Do dental chews replace brushing?

No. Chews clean the back teeth and brushing cleans the front ones, so your dog needs both.

अक्सर पूछे जाने वाले सवाल

कुत्ते के दाँत कितनी बार ब्रश करने चाहिए?

हर दिन, भले ही थोड़ी देर के लिए। दाँतों पर जमने वाली परत एक दिन में फिर बन जाती है। रोज़ रात आगे के दाँतों पर बीस सेकंड ब्रश करना, हफ़्ते में एक बार लंबा ब्रश करने से बेहतर है।

क्या कुत्ते के लिए इंसानों वाला टूथपेस्ट इस्तेमाल कर सकते हैं?

नहीं। इंसानों का टूथपेस्ट थूकने के लिए बना होता है, जबकि कुत्ता उसे निगल लेता है। हमेशा कुत्तों के लिए बना टूथपेस्ट ही इस्तेमाल करें।

क्या डेंटल च्यू देने से ब्रश करने की ज़रूरत नहीं रहती?

नहीं। च्यू पीछे के दाँत साफ़ करता है और ब्रश आगे के दाँत। इसलिए कुत्ते को दोनों की ज़रूरत है।

Sources

• World Small Animal Veterinary Association Global Dental Guidelines — World Small Animal Veterinary Association
• Weekly and Daily Tooth Brushing by Care Staff Reduces Gingivitis and Calculus in Racing Greyhounds — Animals (Basel), 2021
• Occurrence of Canine Periodontal Disease — Indian Journal of Veterinary Medicine, 2025
• VOHC Accepted Products for Dogs, November 2025 — Veterinary Oral Health Council
• Risks from a fractured tooth — Cornell Riney Canine Health Center

Prices are current as of September 2026 and do change. The figure on each product page is the live one.