Best Dental Chews for Dogs in Australia (2026 Vet-Approved Guide)
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In this article
Our Top Dog Dental Chew Picks Best Dental Chews for Dogs: Vet-Recommended Picks How Dental Chews Actually Work Natural Chews vs Dental Chews: What the VOHC Seal Tells You What Dental Chews Cost, and What They Save What to Look For in a Dental Chew Common Questions Keeping Your Dog's Teeth Healthy Related Articles
The best dental chews for dogs are the ones proven to reduce plaque or tartar in controlled trials. In Australia, that shortlist is led by VOHC-accepted chews: Greenies Original, OraVet Dental Hygiene Chews and VeggieDent FR3SH, each matched to your dog's weight.
Most dental chews sold in Australia have never been tested for the job on the label. The seal that separates the proven ones from the rest is easy to check once you know it exists.
I'll cover our vet-recommended picks, how dental chews actually clean teeth, and how to choose the right size safely.
The Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) seal is the only independent proof a dental chew reduces plaque or tartar in dogs.
Greenies Original, OraVet Dental Hygiene Chews and VeggieDent FR3SH are vet-recommended, VOHC-accepted dental chews available in Australia.
A dental chew must match your dog's weight: an undersized chew is a choking risk, and a halved chew loses most of its cleaning effect.
Dental chews count toward your dog's daily food intake, so keep all treats under 10% of daily calories.
Dental chews support tooth brushing and annual vet dental checks; most dogs have some gum disease by age three, and a chew alone cannot reverse it.
Our Top Dog Dental Chew Picks
Every pick in this guide carries the VOHC seal, the only independent test standard for dental chews.
Best overall: Greenies Original accepted for both plaque and tartar, in sizes from toy breeds to large dogs.
Best for tartar control: OraVet Dental Hygiene Chews works by coating the teeth so plaque struggles to attach.
Best for sensitive stomachs: VeggieDent FR3SH plant-based and chicken-free, accepted for plaque and tartar.
All three are stocked in our vet-recommended dog dental chews range, sized from under 4.5 kg to over 23 kg.
Best Dental Chews for Dogs: Vet-Recommended Picks
A dental chew earns its place here by proving it reduces plaque or tartar in controlled trials, and only a handful sold in Australia have.
Best Overall
Greenies Original is a daily dental chew accepted by the VOHC for both plaque and tartar control. Only a handful of chews sold in Australia can claim both, which is what earns Greenies the top spot.
The cleaning is mechanical. The chewy texture keeps teeth working through the treat rather than snapping it in two bites, so soft plaque is scrubbed off before it can harden. The current formula is soluble and highly digestible. Early versions two decades ago drew digestibility complaints, and the recipe was rebuilt in response.
Sizing is the strength of the Greenies range. Teenie suits dogs from 2 to 7 kg, Petite from 7 to 11 kg, Regular from 11 to 22 kg and Large from 22 to 45 kg. That makes Greenies the easiest pick to match correctly, whether you have a Chihuahua or a Labrador. Feed one a day and count it toward your dog's daily food intake.
Why Dr Jack recommends this chew:
Greenies holds VOHC acceptance for both plaque and tartar, covering the full cleaning cycle.
Greenies sizing fits almost every dog, from a 2 kg toy breed to a 45 kg large breed.
This chew is designed for daily feeding, with a soluble, highly digestible formula.
Best for Tartar Control
OraVet is a daily dental chew that works differently from every other chew on this list, and it is VOHC accepted for tartar control. Where most chews rely on texture alone, OraVet adds a chemical layer that keeps working after your dog finishes chewing.
Each chew releases delmopinol, an ingredient that forms a slippery coating on the teeth and gums. Plaque bacteria struggle to attach to the coated surface, so less plaque forms between chews and less of it hardens into tartar. That barrier is why OraVet suits dogs that build tartar quickly.
The OraVet range comes in four weight bands. Extra Small covers dogs up to 4.5 kg, and the Large chew suits dogs over 23 kg, which makes OraVet our pick for big breeds. Feed one a day and count it toward your dog's daily food intake.
Why Dr Jack recommends this chew:
OraVet holds VOHC acceptance for tartar control, backed by submitted trial data.
The delmopinol barrier keeps working after the chewing stops, which suits dogs that build tartar quickly.
The four weight bands run up to dogs over 23 kg, so big breeds are properly covered.
"Finally an oral chew my dog will eat! My standard schnauzer will not chew any of the hard dental sticks or chews. This one is soft and sticks to his teeth and mouth like when I eat a red ripper lolly. I am so happy to have found a dental/oral hygiene chew that he will not just sniff and walk away from."
Susan P.
Vets Love Pets Customer
Best for Sensitive Stomachs
VeggieDent FR3SH is a plant-based dental chew from Virbac, accepted by the VOHC for both plaque and tartar. There is no chicken, beef or dairy in the recipe, which makes it the safest starting point for dogs with food sensitivities.
The cleaning is mechanical, and the Z-shape is deliberate. It gives paws something to grip, which slows the chew down and extends the time the surface spends scrubbing the teeth. Longer contact means more soft plaque is removed before it can harden.
Four sizes cover dogs from under 5 kg to over 30 kg, so the fit is easy to match. Feed one a day, count it toward your dog's daily food intake, and pick the size band that matches your dog's weight rather than halving a larger chew.
Why Dr Jack recommends this chew:
VeggieDent holds VOHC acceptance for both plaque and tartar, the full cleaning cycle.
The chicken-free, beef-free, dairy-free recipe avoids the common protein triggers, so sensitive dogs still get proper dental care.
The grippy Z-shape extends chewing time, which is what drives the mechanical clean.
"My dog needs to be on a vegetarian diet due to stomach issues. He LOVES these treats and they are super for his stomach and teeth!"
Kathryn
Vets Love Pets Customer
How Dental Chews Actually Work
A dental chew works in one of two ways: scraping the tooth as your dog chews, or coating it so plaque struggles to attach.
The first mechanism is mechanical. Plaque is a soft film of bacteria that builds on teeth within hours of eating. While it stays soft, chewing on a textured surface can scrub it off. Left alone, plaque hardens into tartar, a mineralised crust that no chew can remove.
The second mechanism is chemical. OraVet uses delmopinol, which forms a barrier film over the tooth so the new plaque cannot grip. Some other dental treats use sodium hexametaphosphate, a compound that binds the minerals plaque needs to harden into tartar. Both approaches keep working after the chewing stops.
Chew time drives the mechanical effect. A chew swallowed in twenty seconds has barely touched the teeth, which is why texture, shape and correct sizing matter as much as the ingredient list. It is also why halving a chew for a smaller dog undoes most of its value.
Every chew has the same blind spot: it cleans the crown of the tooth, the part you can see. Gum disease develops below the gum line, where no chew reaches. That limit is why a chew can only ever be one layer of your dog's dental care.
"If you only remember one thing when buying treats, make it the VOHC seal on the pack. It does the homework for you. Then match the size on the pack to your dog's weight, and go up a size if your dog tends to swallow things fast."
Dr Jack Ayerbe OAM
Veterinarian & Vets Love Pets Partner
Natural Chews vs Dental Chews: What the VOHC Seal Tells You
The difference that matters is not natural versus commercial, it is tested versus untested, and only one of these groups has proven it cleans teeth. "Natural" describes the ingredients on the pack. It says nothing about whether the product reduces plaque or tartar.
Raw bones, antlers, hooves and dried tendons do give real chewing time, and chewing itself helps keep teeth cleaner than no chewing at all.
That is a genuine benefit. The tricky part is that none of them carries VOHC acceptance, because none have submitted controlled trial data showing a measurable reduction in plaque or tartar. You are trusting the chewing action alone.
Hard chews like bones, antlers and hooves are a leading cause of fractured teeth, the slab fractures vets see on the large chewing teeth, and they can splinter or cause gut obstructions. A chew hard enough that you could not dent it with a fingernail is hard enough to crack a tooth.
The commercial dental chews in this guide sit at the other end. They are formulated to a texture that flexes rather than shatters, and the ones we recommend have earned the VOHC seal by proving they work.
You get the cleaning benefit with the evidence to back it, and without the fracture risk of the hardest natural chews.
What Dental Chews Cost, and What They Save
A daily dental chew is one of the most affordable forms of preventive care you can give, especially measured against the cost of a professional clean.
A VOHC-accepted daily chew generally works out to a modest cost per day, and a year of daily chews still lands well below the price of a single veterinary procedure. A scale and polish under anaesthetic typically costs $400 to $800 in Australia, and once disease has advanced to the point of extractions, the bill climbs steeply from there.
A proven daily chew, alongside brushing and annual checks, slows the build-up that leads to those procedures.
What to Look For in a Dental Chew
Match the chew to your dog's weight first; the wrong size is either a choking risk or a waste of money.
The VOHC seal
Look for "VOHC Accepted" printed on the pack, usually near the ingredients panel. The seal comes in two versions: accepted for plaque, accepted for tartar, or both. Either version means the product passed controlled trials; a chew accepted for both covers the full cycle.
Size and safety
Feed the whole chew for the weight band on the pack. Breaking a large chew in half for a small dog shortens chewing time and creates a piece small enough to swallow whole. Buy the smaller size instead.
If your dog swallows treats with minimal chewing, size up so the chew cannot be gulped, supervise every chew, and always have fresh water down. Dogs with a history of gut obstruction should skip chews entirely until your vet says otherwise.
Small breeds need dental care the most. Many dogs under 10 kg often have crowded mouths, where tarter can build up faster compared to large breeds. If you share your home with a Chihuahua, Dachshund or Toy Poodle, a correctly sized daily dental chew is one of the most useful habits you can build.
The calorie budget
A dental chew is food, and a medium chew can carry 70 to 100 kilocalories. Fed daily on top of full meals, that quietly adds weight over a year. Keep all treats, dental chews included, under 10% of your dog's daily intake, and trim the food bowl slightly on chew days. Our vet-recommended dog treats guide covers how to budget the rest.
Sensitive stomachs and allergies
Introduce any new chew on its own, one at a time, so a reaction is easy to trace. For dogs with known food sensitivities, start with a chicken-free, plant-based option such as VeggieDent FR3SH. If stools loosen after a new chew, stop and give the gut a few days before trying an alternative.
"A kelpie cross came in for a routine vaccination, and her pet parent mentioned she had been getting a dental chew every night for years. The front teeth looked clean. Under the tartar on the back molars, the gums had receded badly, and she needed four extractions. The chews had done their job on the visible teeth, which made the hidden disease easier to miss."
Dr Jack Ayerbe OAM
Veterinarian & Vets Love Pets Partner
Common Questions
How often should you give a dog dental chews?
Give one dental chew a day, because daily use is what the trials behind VOHC-accepted chews are based on. Greenies, OraVet and VeggieDent are all designed as once-daily chews. Remember to count the chew toward your dog's daily food intake.
Are Greenies good for dogs?
Yes, Greenies are good for dogs when fed in the correct size for your dog's weight. The formula is soluble and highly digestible, and Greenies carry VOHC acceptance for both plaque and tartar control. Supervise chew time, as you would with any treat.
Can puppies have dental chews?
Most dental chews suit puppies only from around six months, once the adult teeth have come through. Adult chews are too hard and too calorie-dense for young puppies. Greenies makes a VOHC-accepted Puppy variety for dogs over six months, and your vet can confirm when your puppy's mouth is ready.
Are bones a safe alternative to dental chews?
No, bones are a riskier way to clean teeth than a tested dental chew. Cooked bones can splinter and should never be fed. Raw bones can break teeth and cause gut blockages, which is why the RSPCA suggests dental chews as the safer way to help clean teeth. If you still want to offer bones, ask your vet which type suits your dog first.
Keeping Your Dog's Teeth Healthy
Choosing a proven dental chew is a genuinely useful step, and your dog gets a daily treat out of the deal. Pair it with brushing when you can and a dental check at every annual visit. When you are ready, browse our full range of vet-recommended dog dental chews.
Veterinarian & Vets Love Pets Partner
BVSc
Dr Jack Ayerbe OAM is a distinguished Geelong veterinarian with over 50 years of experience, the founder of Newtown Veterinary Practice, and a dedicated advocate for animal welfare and ethics.
More articles from Dr Jack AyerbeReferences
The Veterinary Oral Health Council accepted products list, the independent trial-based standard for pet dental products
The MSD Veterinary Manual, the global clinical reference for veterinarians, on periodontal disease
The WSAVA Global Dental Guidelines, the world small animal veterinary body's dental care standard
VCA Hospitals, one of the largest veterinary hospital networks, on brushing and periodontal disease prevalence
The RSPCA Australia Knowledgebase on the risks of feeding bones to dogs
