Dental Care · Guide
Most dog owners know they should be brushing their dog's teeth. Most don't do it. Dental disease affects around 80% of dogs over the age of three — leading to pain, tooth loss, and in serious cases, infection that can spread to the heart and kidneys. The good news is that brushing a few times a week makes a significant difference, and getting started is easier than most people expect. The right kit helps enormously.
Dogs don't get cavities the way humans do, but they do get tartar, plaque, and gum disease. Tartar buildup causes bad breath in the short term and gum disease in the long term. Gum disease is painful, progressive, and expensive to treat — professional dental cleaning under anaesthetic can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars. Regular brushing at home prevents most of this.
The other immediate benefit is breath. Dogs with clean teeth simply smell better — something any dog owner who lets their dog near their face will appreciate.
The Arm & Hammer kit below is the complete starter package. If you already have a toothbrush you like, or want the guided step-by-step approach that comes with a dedicated kit, Vet's Best offers a toothbrush-and-toothpaste combo as a second solid option.
Top Pick · 2026
The Arm & Hammer kit includes everything you need to start brushing your dog's teeth — a long-handled toothbrush, a finger brush, and enzymatic toothpaste. The toothpaste uses baking soda as its active ingredient — the same formula Arm & Hammer have used in human dental products for decades — which is proven to break down tartar and neutralise odour. The banana mint flavour is mild enough that most dogs accept it readily, which is the key factor that separates a usable dental kit from one that sits unused in a drawer.
View on Amazon →Alternative Pick
Vet's Best includes a toothbrush, finger brush, and enzymatic toothpaste made with natural ingredients, in a banana flavour most dogs accept without much resistance. With over 48,000 reviews it has a larger review base than the Arm & Hammer kit, though a slightly lower star average. A solid choice if you want a vet-formulated option specifically.
View on Amazon →The biggest mistake is going straight in with the toothbrush. Follow this gradual approach and most dogs will accept brushing within two weeks:
Always end each session with praise and a treat. The goal is for your dog to associate tooth brushing with something positive.
Daily is ideal but three times per week delivers most of the benefit. Even once a week is significantly better than never. The key is consistency — irregular brushing allows tartar to build up between sessions and reduces the overall effectiveness.
Some dogs never accept a toothbrush despite a patient introduction. Alternatives that provide some dental benefit include dental chews, water additives, and dental gels — though none are as effective as brushing. If your dog has significant existing tartar buildup, a vet cleaning may be needed before home brushing becomes effective.
No-Brushing Option
Applied directly with no brushing required, TropiClean's gel helps remove plaque and tartar and is a reasonable fallback for dogs that won't accept a brush at all. It won't match the results of actual brushing, but it's meaningfully better than doing nothing.
View on Amazon →Daily Chew Option
A daily dental chew works well as a routine on-top of brushing, or as an easier-to-stick-with alternative if brushing and gels both fail to become a habit. WHIMZEES are natural, grain-free, and vegetarian, with no added sugar — the shape and chewing action help scrape plaque as your dog eats it.
View on Amazon →Our Verdict
Dental disease is the most common health problem in dogs and one of the most preventable. The Arm & Hammer kit gives you everything you need to start — a proven toothpaste formula, two brush types, and a flavour dogs actually accept. At 4.5 stars across over 7,600 reviews it's the most trusted dental kit on Amazon for good reason.
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