5 Best Dental Dog Food - Feb. 2023

Updated March 2022

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Bottom line

Pros

Cons

Best of the Best

Royal Canin Veterinary Diet

Besides cleaning your dog's teeth, this food was also made to support joint health as well as a healthy digestive and immune system.

Pros

Texture and shape of kibble promotes chewing and scraping of plaque and tartar from teeth. Great for preventing gingivitis and halitosis. Fortified with vitamin E, vitamin C, lutein, and taurine. For dogs of all sizes.

Cons

Prescription item.

Best Bang for the Buck

Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets

Although it’s a pricier dry dog food, its large crunchy bites of bumpy chicken nugget-like kibble is surprisingly effective at cleaning a dog’s mouth.

Pros

Crunchy kibble texture considerably reduces built-up tartar. Chicken is the first ingredient. Excellent for dogs of all ages and sizes. Healthy formula. Made in America.

Cons

Prescription item.

Wysong

Optimize Wild Caught Salmon

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Solid Supplement

Bottom Line

If buying a dedicated dental-health dog food isn’t in your budget, this all-around healthy high-protein food topper is a helpful supplement.

Pros

Salmon is the first ingredient. Includes green-lipped mussels and mushrooms for joint health and as an immune system boost. Includes “DentaTreat” supplement for oral health.

Cons

It’s a supplementary food topper, not an entire diet.

If your dog is swallowing their dental-health food whole, these huge chunks are guaranteed to force any canine to chew their way to clean teeth.

Pros

Especially large chunky pieces promote chewing behavior, allowing this food to dramatically reduce plaque and tartar buildup. Chicken is the first ingredient. A low-calorie food.

Cons

May be too large for the smallest breeds to handle.

Hill's Prescription Diet

t d Dental Care Small Bites

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Good for Small Dogs

Bottom Line

A solid dental-health dog food with tooth-scraping chunks that are just large enough to convince small breeds to chew them.

Pros

Puffy, chicken-flavored nuggets promote chewing to help eliminate plaque. Reduces bad breath. Added antioxidants for immune system health.

Cons

Prescription item. Brewer’s rice, corn, and chicken by-product are the first 3 ingredients.

HOW WE TESTED

We recommend these products based on an intensive research process that's designed to cut through the noise and find the top products in this space. Guided by experts, we spend hours looking into the factors that matter, to bring you these selections.

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No one wants to see their best friend afflicted with bad breath, swollen gums, or large patches of brown tartar plastered on their teeth, and incorporating a dry food crafted with your dog’s dental health in mind will go a long way toward protecting that lovable smile. Dental dog foods are often offered in larger pieces with a noticeable texture that will brush away the plaque, tartar, and bacteria that causes rancid breath with each bite. Although many of these special formulas require a prescription, it’s worth visiting your vet before your dog experiences oral health issues.

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