02/09/2026
🐾 NOMS TIP DAY 🐾
🦷 CAN CHEWING HELP KEEP TEETH CLEAN?
You’ll often see chews described as “great for cleaning teeth”... but there’s a little more to it than that 👀
Chewing can provide mechanical action against the teeth, particularly when a dog actually works a chew with their back teeth rather than crunching twice and swallowing it.
But...
🪥 A CHEW ISN’T A TOOTHBRUSH!
Chewing can be PART of looking after your dog’s teeth, but it shouldn’t be relied on as their only dental care.
And not every chew automatically becomes a “dental chew” just because it’s hard!
In fact, harder isn’t necessarily better. Extremely hard chews can potentially damage teeth, particularly in dogs who bite down with serious enthusiasm.
So rather than just looking at WHAT your dog chews...
Have a look at HOW they chew too! 👀
SO... WHAT KIND OF CHEWER HAVE YOU GOT? 🦷🐶
🐊 THE CROCODILE
CHOMP. CHOMP. GONE.
If a chew disappears in seconds, there may be very little prolonged gnawing or contact with the teeth.
Don’t assume eating a chew means they’ve just had a good tooth-cleaning session! These dogs may need a little more help with their dental routine.
🐿️ THE NIBBLER
Tiny bites and takes their sweet time.
They may spend longer chewing, but if most of the action is little front-tooth nibbles, those back teeth might not be getting much involved.
Watch WHERE they actually use the chew.
🦴 THE GNAWER
Gets those back teeth involved and happily works away.
This is where chewing may provide more mechanical action, as the chew is repeatedly worked against different teeth.
💪 THE POWER CHEWER
Maximum effort. Maximum determination.
They may get plenty of chewing action, but harder isn’t better!
Powerful chewers can bite down with serious force, so choosing an appropriate chew and regularly checking their teeth is especially important.
😴 THE CASUAL CHEWER
Chews for a bit, wanders off, comes back later... maybe.
They may get some mechanical action while they’re chewing, but don’t count on that half-eaten chew under the sofa doing all the dental work 😂
🐾 NOMS TIP
Whatever their chewing style, regularly have a look inside your dog’s mouth.
Keep an eye out for changes such as tartar build-up, sore or red gums, damaged teeth or unusually bad breath.
Chewing can be a useful part of the dental-care toolbox...
But it isn’t the whole toolbox. 🪥🧰🐶
Now tell us...
Which chewer lives in your house? 👀😂
🐾 NOMS KNOWLEDGE 🐾
Learn. Understand. Treat Naturally.
