Dogs | Dental Care

Best Dental Chews for Small Dogs and Toy Breeds in Australia

Small dogs run into dental trouble earlier than big dogs, and it comes down to their size. Toy and small breeds pack the same number of teeth into a far smaller jaw, so plaque builds in the crowded gaps and gum disease sets in early — the RSPCA puts some level of dental disease in around 80% of all dogs by age three. Daily brushing is the gold standard, but most of us miss days, and that's where a good dental chew for small dogs earns its place. The right one scrubs plaque off through the act of chewing, and some go further with ingredients that slow tartar forming in the first place. Here are four worth the shelf space.

Best Overall

4.7

Greenies Canine Teenie Dental Dog Treats

Teenie size for small jaws
VOHC-accepted plaque control

Watch gulpers — break it up

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Best for Heavy Tartar

4.6

Oravet Dental Hygiene Chews (Small)

Delmopinol anti-plaque barrier
Vet-grade, VOHC-accepted

Priciest chew per piece

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Best Everyday Staple

4.1

Pedigree DentaStix Small Dog Dental Chews

Trusted everyday staple
Ridged X-shape scrubs teeth

Cereal-filler heavy

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Best Natural Choice

4.4

WHIMZEES Toothbrush Dental Chews (Extra Small)

Grain-free, no artificial extras
Long chew, bristly ridges

Firm — tough for tiny mouths

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By Alex • Updated August 2026 • 🕒 15 min read

How we review →

The four here aren't interchangeable, and the differences are the whole point of this guide. One's the all-round daily pick, one's built for dogs whose teeth already gather tartar fast, one's the familiar everyday staple, and one's the natural, grain-free choice. Below we lay out the five things that separate a good small-dog chew from filler, put the four side by side in a quick comparison, then dig into each one in detail so you can match the right chew to the dog in front of you.

What to look for in a dental chew for small dogs

The five details that matter most. Scroll across to read all five.

Size for the jaw

A chew built for a big dog does little for a small mouth. Match the size band to your dog's weight so they get a proper chew out of it, and don't swallow it whole or lose interest halfway.

Texture that cleans

Cleaning comes from the chew flexing or scrubbing against the tooth toward the gumline. Softer chewy textures suit little jaws, while firmer ridged ones last longer, so pick for how your own dog chews.

The VOHC seal

The Veterinary Oral Health Council awards a seal to products shown to slow plaque or tartar. It isn't on every good chew, but where you see it, the cleaning claim has been tested in trials.

What's inside

Some chews clean by abrasion alone; others add ingredients that slow tartar forming. Check whether the bulk is cereal filler or something more digestible, because a dental chew becomes an everyday part of the diet.

Daily calories and cost

A chew a day adds up on both the waistline and the wallet. Count it toward a small dog's treat allowance, and work out the price per chew, because the habit only helps your dog's teeth if it happens every day.

At a glance

Our top four picks compared — specs, prices, and our one-line take on each.

Rank	Product	Best for	Key feature	Approx. price	Check price link
Best Overall	Greenies Canine Teenie Dental Dog Treats	Most small dogs as a daily plaque-control chew	Chewy VOHC-accepted texture that flexes around each tooth to the gumline.	~$25–$35 AUD (~$0.65/chew)	Check price
Best for Heavy Tartar	Oravet Dental Hygiene Chews (Small)	Small dogs that build plaque and tartar quickly	Delmopinol coating that forms a barrier against plaque bacteria.	~$37–$47 AUD (~$1.49/chew)	Check price
Best Everyday Staple	Pedigree DentaStix Small Dog Dental Chews	Budget-minded owners wanting a daily small-dog chew	X-shaped ridged texture that scrubs plaque as the dog gnaws.	~$19–$29 AUD (~$0.86/stick)	Check price
Best Natural Choice	WHIMZEES Toothbrush Dental Chews (Extra Small)	Owners wanting a natural, grain-free daily chew	Vegetable-based toothbrush shape with bristly ridges and a long chew time.	~$20–$30 AUD (~$0.52/chew)	Check price

Our picks in detail

What we love, what to watch for, and who each pick really suits.

Best Overall: Greenies Canine Teenie Dental Dog Treats

Bottom line — the daily chew we'd hand most small dogs: a VOHC-accepted texture that flexes to the gumline, in a proper Teenie size.

Greenies are the default for a reason. The Teenie size is made for dogs from roughly two to seven kilos, so a small mouth gets a chew sized to it from the start. The texture is the clever part — chewy enough to flex around each tooth and wipe plaque down toward the gumline, where small-dog trouble starts — and it carries the VOHC seal for slowing plaque and tartar build-up.

It's soft enough for little jaws yet holds together long enough to make them work, and the shape encourages a proper chew instead of a single gulp. The ingredients are largely digestible, which matters for something a dog eats every single day, and the low fat keeps the calorie hit sensible. Two real caveats: each chew still carries calories, so it counts toward the day's treat budget for a small dog, and enthusiastic gulpers can bolt one whole if you don't watch — break it or hand it over in halves. For most small dogs, though, this is the one to start with, and the one we'd reach for first.

What we love	Areas for improvement
Teenie size scaled to small jaws VOHC-accepted for plaque and tartar Chewy texture reaches the gumline	Calorie cost adds up daily Gulpers can bolt it whole Wheat in the recipe, not grain-free

Best for Heavy Tartar: Oravet Dental Hygiene Chews (Small)

Bottom line — the pick for a small dog whose teeth gather tartar fast, adding a delmopinol barrier on top of the usual scrubbing.

Oravet is the one with actual chemistry behind it. Where most chews clean by abrasion alone, these are coated in delmopinol — an ingredient that spreads across the teeth and forms a barrier making it harder for plaque bacteria to stick and organise in the first place. So you get the mechanical scrub of chewing plus a chemical head start, which is why it's a vet-clinic staple. One caveat worth knowing: its VOHC seal is specifically for tartar control — the delmopinol plaque-barrier is Oravet's own claim, not part of that independent acceptance.

That dual action makes it the sensible step up for a small dog whose teeth visibly gather tartar within weeks of a clean — the ones some breeds are prone to. The Small size suits dogs around four-and-a-half to eleven kilos. The trade-offs are real: it's the priciest chew here per piece, the barrier only holds if it's given daily without gaps, and like any firm chew a determined gulper needs supervising. If your dog's mouth stays clean on a basic chew, you don't need this — but for a stubborn tartar former, the extra spend buys real extra protection, and on a small dog headed for an early dental clean that can be money well spent.

What we love	Areas for improvement
Delmopinol barrier resists plaque bacteria Vet-clinic grade; VOHC-accepted for tartar Targets fast tartar formers	Most expensive per chew here Only works given every day Overkill for clean-mouthed dogs

Best Everyday Staple: Pedigree DentaStix Small Dog Dental Chews

Bottom line — the familiar everyday pick for small dogs: a ridged, low-fuss stick that does the basic scrubbing job without any drama.

DentaStix is the everyday workhorse. The Small sticks are shaped for dogs roughly five to ten kilos, with an X-profile and grooved surface designed so the teeth sink in and get scrubbed as the dog gnaws down the length. There's nothing fancy in the mechanism — it's texture doing mechanical work — but it's a real daily dental chew from the brand most owners already know.

The appeal is simple: dogs reliably like them, they're low in fat, and they're the familiar name most people reach for without thinking, which keeps the daily routine easy — and consistency is most of the battle with dental care. The catch is the ingredient list — these lean on cereal starches to bind the stick, so they're more filler-heavy than the natural or vet options here, and the cleaning is purely abrasive with no anti-tartar chemistry. For a small dog with an already-healthy mouth, that's a fair trade for a fuss-free, familiar daily chew. Think of it as the reliable everyday baseline, with the vet and natural picks reaching deeper — the chew that keeps the habit going on the days a fancier option would sit unopened.

What we love	Areas for improvement
Familiar, widely trusted daily stick Ridged shape scrubs as they gnaw Low in fat, dogs like them	Cereal fillers bind the stick Abrasion only, no anti-tartar action Less clean ingredient list

Best Natural Choice: WHIMZEES Toothbrush Dental Chews (Extra Small)

Bottom line — the natural, grain-free pick: a bristly toothbrush shape that lasts, cleaning through a longer chew rather than additives.

WHIMZEES take the natural route. These are vegetable-based and grain-free, moulded into a toothbrush shape with raised bristly ridges, and the Extra Small is sized for dogs two to seven kilos. There's no cereal filler and nothing artificial — the cleaning comes from the shape and a deliberately long chew time that keeps the ridges working across the teeth for longer than a stick that's gone in seconds.

That longer chew is the whole selling point: the more minutes a dog spends gnawing, the more mechanical cleaning happens, and the bristly grooves are made to reach into the gaps between teeth. And it's more than a natural gimmick — the WHIMZEES Toothbrush is VOHC-accepted for both plaque and tartar, the same independent seal our top pick carries, which is rare for a chew this natural and this affordable. Being firmer and built to last, they suit dogs that like to settle in and gnaw — though that same firmness can be hard going for a very old or very tiny mouth, so match the pick to your dog. Per chew they're good value, and for owners who want a natural, single-purpose chew with a short, clean ingredient list, they're the obvious pick — the long chew even doubles as a bit of quiet enrichment for a dog that likes a job.

What we love	Areas for improvement
Grain-free and vegetable-based Long chew time boosts cleaning VOHC-accepted for plaque and tartar	Firmness suits keen chewers only Plainer taste than a meaty stick Can be tough for tiny mouths

FAQ

Do dental chews work for small dogs?

Yes, within limits, and there's small-breed evidence behind them. In one controlled study of small dogs, adding a daily dental chew to a normal dry diet cut plaque by 17.3% and calculus by 45.8% compared with the diet alone. The mechanism is mostly mechanical — chewing drags the chew across the teeth and lifts plaque before it hardens into tartar — with some chews adding ingredients that slow that hardening. What a chew can't do is reach under the gumline the way a brush does, so treat it as a strong daily support for oral care, working alongside brushing and vet checks.

Are dental chews a replacement for brushing my small dog's teeth?

No — daily brushing is still the gold standard, because it's the only thing that cleans every surface, including the gumline where disease starts. A chew helps most on the days brushing doesn't happen, which for most of us is most days. The realistic plan for a small dog is both: brush when you can, give a chew when you can't, and don't let perfect be the enemy of good. Doing something every day beats doing nothing, and pairing a chew with brushing is how you get ahead of plaque.

How many dental chews can a small dog have in a day?

One a day is the standard serve for the chews here, and that's usually the sweet spot — the dental benefit comes from daily consistency, so doubling up won't clean any faster. The real catch for a small dog is calories: one chew can be a real slice of a little dog's daily energy, so trim a bit from dinner to keep the balance. Always follow the pack's feeding guidance and pick the size band that matches your dog's weight, since a chew that's too big is both a choking risk and a bigger calorie hit than a small dog needs.

At what age can small dogs start on dental chews?

Once they have their full set of adult teeth, usually around six months, most small dogs can handle an appropriately sized chew — and several brands make a puppy version for younger mouths. Starting early builds the habit before tartar has a chance to set in, which matters for small breeds that tend to develop dental disease young. For very small or senior dogs, lean toward a softer chew and supervise, since a firmer one can be hard going for a delicate or ageing mouth, and a chew they can't manage is one they'll leave in the bowl, which does nothing for their teeth.

How do I know if my small dog already has dental disease?

Watch for bad breath, yellow-brown tartar along the gumline, red or bleeding gums, or a dog that's gone quieter about hard food. Small breeds are especially prone, because those crowded little mouths trap plaque in gaps that are hard to keep clean, so trouble tends to show up young. A chew helps prevent build-up but won't reverse disease that's already there, so book a vet dental check if you spot the signs; a professional clean may be needed before prevention can do its job.

Final thoughts

I don't have a dog, but dental disease is one of those things I've read up on plenty as a cat owner — it's sneaky, the mouth looks fine right up until the day it very much doesn't, and animals are good at hiding the discomfort. It's the same reason I keep half an eye on Pixel's teeth at home. Small dogs are in the same boat, only worse, because those crowded little jaws stack the odds against them from puppyhood.

So my take: a chew is the easy win you'll keep up on the days brushing doesn't happen, and it works best sitting alongside the brushing you know you should do. Pick one your dog is keen to chew, because a chew they ignore does nothing; watch that it lasts long enough to do real mechanical work before it vanishes in two bites; and factor the daily cost in, since this is an every-day habit and not a one-off. Then book the annual vet dental check and let the chew hold the line in between.