The Only Thing Worse Than a Trip to the Dog Dentist Is Trying to Brush Your Dog’s Teeth.
It’s impossible to get them to cooperate… it’s messy, it’s smelly, it’s inconvenient, it’s just downright unpleasant (for them AND us). Although it’s tempting to ignore doggy dental care altogether, getting into a consistent oral health routine with our dogs is a crucial aspect of their overall health & wellbeing.
Thankfully, there are tons of products out there that claim to help out with your pups’ dental health and don’t require sticking your hand in their mouths. We did our research to see which products cut through all the noise and found two standouts: BARK’s Bright Dental Kit and Greenies™ Dental Treats.
Studies show that 80% of dogs will develop periodontal disease by age 3. When plaque and tartar are left to continuously build up, your pet’s dental problems could even evolve into something more dangerous and life-threatening (like heart disease or organ failure.) So yeah, it’s time to start cleaning those chompers, and these two products are a great place to start.
In the search for which is actually worth the investment, here’s how these two heavyweights stack up:
The Brand Background Behind BARK and Greenies™
BARK:
- BARK was founded in 2011 by 3 dog-obsessed people (one of whom is still CEO). They launched with the monthly toy & treat subscription BarkBox, and since then they’ve expanded to serve over 2 million dogs with a wide variety of dog services all focused on their central mission: make dogs as happy as they make us. The fact of 100,000+ 5-star reviews seems to confirm they’re doing a good job at that.
- BARK Bright was launched in 2019 and has wasted no time becoming one of the leading dog dental care products, receiving an honorable mention in Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas 2020 and a mention in TIME’s Best Inventions 2019. With the brilliant idea to combine a specially formulated dog toothpaste with a dental chew, the Bright Dental Kit is the definition of changing the game.
Greenies™:
- Greenies™ was founded in 1996, more of a seasoned vet than a revolutionary newcomer. Two pet parents created these dental chews as a way to stave off their dog’s horrible breath, and since then they’ve become one of the most popular supplement and treat brands for dogs
- Their Dental Treats come in a few different flavors and sizes and feature their signature toothbrush shape. They also offer treats for different health concerns for dogs as well as cats.
So we’ve got a product that functions like an actual toothbrush and one that takes on the shape of a toothbrush… but only one gets to be the gold standard. We broke it down into four main categories.
Price: BARK Bright
These products are close, but when you consider what you’re paying for, we’ve gotta give this category to BARK Bright as the much better value. Greenies™ Original Regular Dental Treats costs $32.98 for a 27-count, while the Bright Dental Kit only costs $28 (if you use the subscribe & save option) for a 30-count of chews and a 2-ounce tube of the dog toothpaste. (Greenies™ also offers subscription savings, but only 5%.)
The subscribe & save option for BARK Bright is a convenience in and of itself—having a monthly supply of chews dropped right at your front door is a great way to stay consistent with your dog’s dental routine and turn those gunky yellows into pearly whites. (It’s worth noting that BARK Bright also has a 15-count durable chew option for $40 or $32 with a subscription if your pup has a little more chomp than usual.)
The price of Greenies™ treats increases based on your dog’s size, but BARK Bright’s chews stay the same price for small and medium dogs. For large dogs (which means larger treats), BARK Bright comes with 15 chews instead of 30. However, Bright’s large treats come out to $1.87/treat while Greenies™ large treats come out to $2.25/treat, solidifying Bright as the better value.
Effectiveness: BARK Bright
The Greenies™ treats have a soft and flexible texture and rely on the mechanical action of chewing to scrape the surface of your dog’s tooth. Some have pointed out, however, that the wheat flour and wheat gluten used in the treats serve as unnecessary fillers and can even ultimately make your pup’s plaque and tartar build-up worse.
BARK Bright, on the other hand, has the upper hand with the addition of its uniquely formulated dog toothpaste. The BARK Bright Dental Kit uses toothpaste in conjunction with textured ridges on the chews to support oral health from a multitude of angles: abrasion, plaque and tartar buildup, inflammation, bacterial presence, and breath freshness. Plus, if your dog is more of a chomper, the option for the Bright Durable Dental Kit makes a huge difference. We’ve seen dogs gobble up some Greenies™ in one bite, which means no teeth cleaning.
Given the added durability, and taking a quick look through the reviews and before & after photos of these two brands, BARK Bright definitely has the edge. While Greenies™ is more centered around fresh breath, Bright does all that and then some for your dog’s teeth.
Flavor Variety: Greenies™
While the Bright Dental Kit only comes in the standard chicken flavor and the Durable Kit option with parsley, peppermint, and turmeric, Greenies™ Dental Chews come in Fresh, Original, Sweet Potato, Blueberry, or Grain-Free. Based on variety, this category goes to the Greenies™ gang.
For what it’s worth, our office dogs didn’t seem to care too much for the Greenies™ treats we offered them (we tried Original and Sweet Potato), but they absolutely lost their minds for BARK Bright. The Bright Chews are made with real chicken, which we found was much more enticing to the pups than the plant-based flavors of Greenies™, variety notwithstanding.
Ingredients & Digestibility: BARK Bright
You should be just as concerned about what you’re feeding your four-legged friends as you are about how it might be helping their dental health. While the Greenies™ treats certainly aren’t harmful for your dog within the recommended servings, the wheat gluten and wheat flour fillers used may make it harder on your pup’s tummy than it needs to be.
The BARK Bright Dental Chews skip the fillers and use real chicken instead, giving your dog real nutrition on top of the dental benefits. All of BARK Bright’s ingredients are sourced from the U.S. and Finland and are highly digestible for a happy pup’s tummy. BARK even goes into excessive detail explaining the purpose of each ingredient for the sake of transparency.
It’s not often you see a brand go above and beyond to quell your worries about the purity and safety of the ingredients you’re feeding your little friend. 5 stars for accountability.
We Know Which One We’ll Be Choosing…
If you’re looking for a fun toothbrush-shaped treat with an established name to freshen up your pup’s breath, Greenies™ Dental Treats might be your answer. They’ve been doing this for a long time for a reason.
But if you’re looking for a revolutionary new idea, the first and only daily dual toothpaste and dental chew system to elevate your dog’s dental health from multiple angles, BARK’s Bright Dental Kit is the way to go. In fact, BARK even guarantees fresher breath and cleaner teeth in one month, or they’ll send your money back.
Of course, picking what’s right for you and your dog comes down to personal circumstances and preferences. But BARK’s Bright Dental Kit is one of the more impressive pet products we’ve ever seen. Take your time while you chew on this decision…
Cleaner Teeth, Guaranteed.
The Bright Dental Kit combines 2 ways to prevent plaque & tartar into 1 easy step.