Best Dog Toothbrushes (Because Yes, You Really Need to Brush Your Pet's Teeth Daily)
We evaluated seven dog toothbrushes and got tips from vets on how to make the task easier for you and your dog. Plus, what to do with older dogs whose teeth might have been neglected.
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We can’t blame our dogs for running like the wind whenever we approach them with a toothbrush. Their wolf ancestors were never asked to open up and say “aah” so they could have their teeth polished with a toothpaste that tastes like London broil.
Your Guide to the Best Pet Products
Meet Our Dog Volunteers
First, meet our cute testers, who range in size and have different (but equally dazzling) personalities.
Blake, Bug, and Chase
Photos: Consumer Reports Photos: Consumer Reports
Small Dog: Bug
Bug is a 5-year-old mixed breed who weighs 12 pounds. When she was a wee puppy, she tolerated teeth brushing well, and her vet even admired her pearly whites. She has since fallen off the wagon, so getting back on will be an interesting challenge. Bug’s human is CR’s Kerri O’Connell.
Medium-Sized Dog: Blake
Blake is a 5-year-old Labradoodle who weighs 36 pounds. Don’t try to tell him what’s best for him—toothbrushes, baths, not eating toilet paper—he won’t hear it. His pastimes include staring at you blankly when you call, barking at manhole covers, and avoiding toothbrushes. I’m Blake’s human.
Large Dog: Chase
Chase is a 10-year-old Boxer mix who weighs 75 pounds. Once able to scale 6-foot fences, he’s much more grounded now that his love of treats has caused his weight gain. Food—rather than dental health—has always been his priority, but he’s never turned down a brushing if it’s with chicken-flavored toothpaste. Chase’s human is CR’s Dirk Klingner.
Pets & Pupps Toothbrush looks well designed, with a wider, grippier handle and soft but sturdy bristles. It features a dual-headed handle with a larger brush head on one side and a small brush head (for small dogs and teeth) on the other.
Bug (small dog): According to Kerri, this toothbrush was one of the easiest to grip, and the smaller brush head was the perfect size for Bug’s tiny mouth. “The bristles were longer than the other small brushes, which made it easier for me to get in there when her mouth was clamped shut,” Kerri said. She described the bristles as “fairly soft” with “good-quality construction.”
Blake (medium dog): First of all, this is a cute toothbrush, with red and white textured pawprint grips along the back and front of the handle. More important, its bristles are soft but firm enough, and I was able to switch between the larger brush head for Blake’s canine teeth and the smaller one for his adorable little front teeth. I have small hands, so the handle was a bit thicker than I’d like, but its excellent grip made up for it.
Chase (large dog): Dirk described this toothbrush as “nice, long, and [with a] thicker than average handle. Easy to hold.” He also found the bristles to be on the softer side. He said that Chase tolerated the toothbrush just fine, but that the brush head was smaller than most.
Verdict: This toothbrush is comfortable to hold. Its brush heads worked for all three of our dogs, and none of them resisted it. The cherry on the top: It’s an attractive brush. Some outside reviews noted that the bristles on this brush came loose easily, but that wasn’t our experience.
Jasper 360° Pet Finger Toothbrush is a toothbrush that you wear, well, on your finger. You apply a small amount of toothpaste to it and maneuver it around your dog’s mouth. This pick is made from silicone, features 360-degree bristles, and comes in a pack of two with little storage cases, a nice feature. According to the manufacturer, the set provides a six-month supply, so each finger toothbrush is designed to last three months.
Bug (small dog): “This fit snuggly on my finger and was a softer silicone than the Pijaborg below, so it made maneuvering around in her little mouth easier than the other finger toothbrush,” Kerri said. But she added that while it fit well in Bug’s mouth to clean her outside teeth, she struggled to get inside her mouth with this brush. “The bristles were very soft,” she said. “I’m not sure how effective these bristles would be in the long run in terms of teeth cleanliness, but this felt high quality.”
Blake (medium dog): This was one of the easiest toothbrushes to use and the one that Blake (who can be anxious) resisted the least. It fit well on my finger and didn’t budge the entire time I was brushing Blake’s teeth. Its 360-degree bristles seemed to gently brush his teeth and massage his gums. Cleaning the brush was easy: Wet it and its silicone body dries quickly. One downside is that toothpaste got stuck inside of its grooves (which can be typical of finger brushes), and I would have liked it if a little brush had been included to clean it. I ultimately scrubbed it with a clean toothbrush and it became clean again.
Chase (large dog): Dirk said that this pick stayed on his finger without slipping and that it fit fine in his dog’s mouth, but that he liked it less than a standard toothbrush. “My dog reacted a little negatively compared to a regular brush and was happy when it was over,” he said. (His dog is 10 and has been brushed with a regular toothbrush his whole life, so this was new to him.) He added that he’s not a fan of other finger brushes but that this brush, which covers all sides, felt like it was giving Chase’s teeth a good cleaning.
Verdict: If you’re interested in trying a finger toothbrush, this is the one. It’s well-constructed, fits well, and our dogs (mostly) liked or tolerated it.
Vet’s Best Toothbrush & Enzymatic Toothpaste Kit includes a triple-headed toothbrush with a unique design. Instead of brushing your dog’s teeth back and forth and from front to back, you insert their teeth into the brush head and brush up and down or side to side while three rows of bristles encapsulate the teeth to provide three-dimensional brushing. If you’re new to this design, it could take some getting used to (for both you and your dog). The toothbrush comes with its own toothpaste, which we didn’t evaluate.
Bug (small dog): Kerri found this slim brush with grips easy to hold. “I actually didn’t anticipate liking this one or that Bug would tolerate it because she typically clenches her jaw shut during brushing,” she said. “But this fit in her tiny mouth and the size worked well! This was the only brush that I felt gave her teeth a full clean all-around, not just the outside.” The bristles were firmer than some of the others, Kerri said, but because of the design of the brush and the fact that it got at Bug’s teeth from all angles without needing much maneuvering on her part, she felt like they were just right.
Blake (medium dog): I liked the three-headed design when brushing Blake’s canine teeth, but it was less effective when I tried to use it to clean crowded teeth toward the front and back of his mouth. Its bristles felt softer than those on the Natural Promise triple-headed toothbrush, plus its head is smaller and was a better fit for Blake. He didn’t love this pick as much as the Jasper Toothbrush, but he tolerated it well.
Chase (large dog): Dirk and Chase had mixed feelings about this triple-headeded toothbrush. Although Dirk said the handle was comfortable, he thought the design was “more awkward” than a regular toothbrush and that brushing took longer because he had to place Chase’s teeth between two brush sides and it got hung up on his canine teeth. “He liked this one less, as it took more time than a regular brush and I was forced to open his mouth a little wider to place his teeth within the three-sided brush,” Dirk said.
Verdict: This is a great triple-headeded toothbrush option, but you and your dog have to appreciate the design for it to work. If you’re a toothbrush traditionalist, you might find that it requires a learning curve and that it can take longer to brush their teeth initially.
The Virbac C.E.T. Oral Hygiene Kit stood out as the toothbrush with the longest handle and one of the largest brush heads. This dual-headed product has a large brush head on one side and a smaller one on the other. It comes with a finger toothbrush and toothpaste, but we didn’t evaluate those additional accessories.
Bug (small dog): Kerri said she didn’t think that there was anything special about the handle’s comfort or grip and that the bristles were stiff. “Bug struggled with this one! Not sure what other factors might have been at play, but she was quite resistant,” she said. “The texture/stiffness of the bristles may give a better clean, but I think it contributed to her discomfort.”
Blake (medium dog): The Virbac toothbrush’s bristles are softer than those on the Natural Promise Fresh Dental brush (below), but the head was too large for Blake’s mouth. Instead, I tried to use the smaller brush on the other side of the handle and that proved too small and inefficient, though better for handling individual teeth. I found the handle too long and slippery with no grip, making it an overall clumsy and uncomfortable brushing experience for both Blake (who kept turning his head to avoid the brush) and me.
Chase (large dog): The Virbac is Chase’s everyday toothbrush, and Dirk and Chase are both partial to it. But there are a few reasons it stood out as the best option for Chase’s size. Dirk said the handle was very comfortable, large enough for a big dog. “The handle is slightly larger, which is preferable,” he said, adding that the bristles were “just right” and showed no change after brushing. It worked great for Chase.
Verdict: Our small and medium dogs showed some discomfort while using this toothbrush, perhaps due to its larger brush head and stiffer bristles, but it was our larger dog’s favorite.
Other Dog Toothbrushes We Evaluated
These three dog toothbrushes lacked important features and failed to wow us.
The Arm & Hammer Tartar Control Kit comes with one of the shorter toothbrushes. It has a dual-headed design and a mostly smooth handle (with the exception of a few cute pawprints that don’t add much grip). This toothbrush kit came with a finger toothbrush and toothpaste, but we didn’t evaluate the additional features.
Bug (small dog): Kerri said that she found this brush easy to grip but that there was nothing special about it in terms of grip features. “The small end of the brush was useful,” she said. “The smaller end was the right size for her tiny mouth.”
Blake (medium dog): I found this to be an average toothbrush—not great, but perfectly adequate. It has a smaller brush head than the Virbac, so it fit Blake’s mouth easily. Its bristles felt soft but firm. Blake resisted a bit, but after a few seconds, he settled in and let me brush his teeth.
Chase (large dog): This brush was a little shorter than the others (it could have been longer), and while it worked well overall, the bristles became deformed after one brushing. “I would expect it to hold up a little longer,” Dirk said. But it was still functional. Chase tolerated the brush fine.
Verdict: We didn’t hate it. But we also weren’t excited about this nothing-to-write-home-about toothbrush. In a pinch, it will do the job, but we were concerned about Dirk’s finding that the bristles warped after just one use.
The Natural Promise Fresh Dental Toothbrush Kit was the second triple-headed toothbrush we evaluated. This design encases each tooth individually. It has what we would describe as a traditional (human) toothbrush handle in terms of grip and design. This toothbrush came with a finger toothbrush and toothpaste, but we didn’t evaluate those additional accessories.
Bug (small dog): Kerri thought the design was well thought out. Although it seemed way too big for Bug before she tried it (the brush head is on the wider side), it worked out okay for our small dog volunteer. “Once I got her mouth open and the bristles around her teeth, she couldn’t do much to resist, and I was able to swipe it around in her mouth,” Kerri said. “It was definitely more difficult with this one to do her bottom teeth because the brush is rounder and wider, but overall, she tolerated it well.”
Blake (medium dog): While its exterior bristles felt like soft silicone, its interior bristles felt very hard. Blake’s gums bled a little after I used this toothbrush, and I wouldn’t use it again for that reason.
Chase (large dog): Although Dirk agreed that the handle was large and comfortable, he said the large double brush design was awkward to maneuver around Chase’s canine teeth, and it took more time to try to place the double brush over his teeth. “Chase was clearly relieved to have this brush out of his mouth,” Dirk said. “Took more time for me to brush, and I was somewhat clumsy moving this around his mouth.”
Verdict: This toothbrush was comfortable to hold, but the brush head is overall too large and awkward to maneuver, and the bristles aren’t very soft.
The Pijaborg Finger Toothbrush was the second finger toothbrush we evaluated, along with the Jasper Toothbrush. It has a very different design, though. It’s made from thermoplastic rubber and not silicone (like the Jasper) and features two separate pieces that are attached to one another—one is placed on your thumb, and the other is placed on your forefinger. Unlike the Jasper, which has 360-degree bristles, the Pijaborg has 135-degree bristles, so you can’t reach as many areas of your dog’s mouth at the same time.
Bug (small dog): “I think Pijaborg was our least favorite,” Kerri said. “The regular human-style brushes at least all let me get up between her lips and give a decent brush. But this one was too large to fit in there comfortably, and she was really resistant.”
Blake (medium dog): One of the two attached finger toothbrushes was too big for my finger, so it wasn’t very comfortable for me to wear. However, its bristles felt gentle, and I think the fact that you can brush both sides of their mouth at one time could make this a smart option for nervous, reluctant dogs who dislike having their teeth brushed. I preferred the Jasper because it was more comfortable to wear and had 360-degree bristles that reached more areas of the mouth at one time.
Chase (large dog): “This one actually worked pretty well,” Dirk said. “Being able to brush both sides of the teeth at once led to a quick but effective brushing that Chase did not mind at all—very similar to his reaction to a regular toothbrush. I will try this one again because it potentially gets double the cleaning done in the same amount of time, which could be helpful, as he does lose interest and tries to walk away after 20 seconds of cleaning with any device.”
Photo: Dirk Klingner/Consumer Reports Photo: Dirk Klingner/Consumer Reports
Verdict: Bug was not a fan, but Blake, Chase, and their owners found it gentle and efficient. When choosing between the Pijaborg and Jasper finger toothbrushes, the winner was the Jasper, which offered more in terms of its material, fit, 360-degree bristles, and convenient storage case.
Why Do You Need to Brush Your Dog’s Teeth?
I was skeptical about why my dog needed his own toothbrush—haven’t wolves done just fine for hundreds of thousands of years without dental care? But experts explained why it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison.
“The dental disease that we see most commonly in our dog patients is periodontal disease, which is disease of the gums and bone surrounding the teeth,” says Naomi Hoyer, DVM, a veterinary dentist and diplomate for the American Veterinary Dental College. “It also exists in wild dog populations, even in fossilized records, though much less commonly.”
There are several reasons for the higher rates of PD in domestic dogs, Hoyer says, including diet, longer lifespan, and genetic changes that we’ve made to dogs. “Think about the shape and size of a wolf compared with French bulldogs, currently the most popular breed in the U.S.,” Hoyer says. “French bulldogs have the same number of teeth as wolves [42] but all compressed into a much smaller skull. The overcrowding is a big predisposing factor for periodontal disease. It comes as no surprise that the incidence of PD in Frenchies vs. Labrador retrievers, No. 2 on the list, is very different. Often, larger dogs have less PD than small dogs. PD is a very complicated, multifactorial disease.”
Does Your Dog Need to Floss?
Fortunately, no. “Dogs’ teeth are structured in the mouth differently than human teeth, so they don’t accumulate plaque between their teeth in the same way humans do,” says Katie Krebs, DVM, an assistant professor of clinical primary care at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine. “However, using things like chew toys, dental diets, and other plaque-prevention products can help to stop the accumulation of plaque between and around the teeth in dogs.”
Are Dental Treats and Toys Safe?
Although dental treats can’t replace a toothbrush, experts say they’re a good supplemental aid in your defense against canine tooth decay. “Dental treats that have been certified by the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) have proven efficacy in preventing the buildup of plaque,” Krebs says. “When used appropriately, not only are these treats safe but they are very useful in oral health for dogs.”
Some examples of VOHC-certified edible chew treats include the very popular Canine Greenies, Improved Milk-Bone Brushing Chews, and Purina DentaLife Daily Oral Care Dog Treats. CR didn’t evaluate these dental dog chews.
Although there are effective dog and cat treats formulated to remove and prevent tartar formation in the mouth, Sheena Davis at BondVet says to keep in mind that these are in addition to your pet’s regular diet. “If you have a chowhound in the house, treats may be less effective, as many pets need to eat or chew on a piece for more than a minute to achieve the desired effect,” she says.
Toys that are labeled as dental toys can be useful for the mechanical chewing that they promote in the prevention of plaque, Krebs says, but there’s a major caveat to keep in mind. “Pet owners need to be careful about the toys that they give their dogs, as some toys can be too hard and chip teeth, creating more dental problems,” she says. “The general general rule is that if you can depress the toy with your fingernail, then it is okay to give it to your dog. If you can’t, then it is too hard, and you should probably avoid giving it to your pet.” One CR dog owner recommended Woof Bite n’ Brush Dental Refills, but CR didn’t evaluate dental dog toys.
How to Brush Your Dog’s Teeth
According to the Colorado State University James L.Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital, it’s a good idea to pick a time of day to brush your dog’s teeth that will be habit-forming for you. Give treats when introducing a toothbrush, and then proceed by gently holding their lips up so you can see their teeth. Gently brushing back and forth with the bristles pointing at a 45-degree angle toward the gums. Use light pressure; bristles should never flare out or flatten against the teeth. Take short breaks when needed and provide rewards. The American Kennel Club offers additional advice on how to get your dog used to toothbrushing if they’re new to this grooming task.
“In an ideal world, brushing happens every day. This is especially important if your dog has a history of being diagnosed with periodontal disease,” Hoyer says. “Don’t wait until the dog starts accumulating plaque and calculus [tartar]. Puppies should have brushing introduced young. It’s also important to know your dog. For an older dog, I recommend a visit to your veterinarian to make sure that brushing is indicated before starting. Sometimes dogs have significant dental disease, and starting brushing could be painful, even causing a dog to want to bite.”
If you brush your dog’s teeth daily, Davis recommends changing its toothbrush every six months. Rinse the toothbrush and let it dry to keep it clean.
Can You Give Your Dog Regular Toothpaste?
Don’t pass your Colgate to your pooch. It has different dental and health needs. “It’s important to use dog-specific toothpaste and not use human toothpaste for our canine companions because the fluoride and other ingredients can be toxic to dogs,” Krebs says. “Any flavor of dog toothpaste that your pet likes is great. They come in chicken, mint, and other flavors.”
How We Evaluated Dog Toothbrushes
Our three dogs and their owners evaluated dog toothbrushes by using each one for one day. We all used VOHC-certified Petsmile Professional Pet Toothpaste in London broil flavor and followed the guidelines from the Colorado State University James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital for brushing. We evaluated the product’s comfort, including how easy it was to hold and grip, its size and whether the bristles fit in our dogs’ mouths, the quality of the bristles and brush head, and our dogs’ reactions. For any toothbrush that came in a kit with a finger toothbrush and toothpaste, we only evaluated the toothbrush.
