Best dry cat food for preventing tartar build-up?

[Desley (booktigger)]

Some cats can swallow t/d whole, and you do have to be careful with it, as it is very high in fat, so can make cats overweight very quickly

[Kay and Penny]

Logic Gel is an easy option for plaque - my two love it - they lick it off my finger and look for more

of course if they knew it was good for them it would be a different story - so glad cats can't read

[Mojo]

My two have some biscuits that were given to us from the vets after Mango had her teeth cleaned, I think they are Science Plan T/D or something? Anyway the kibbles are quite large so they do crunch them, and they both seem to have nice teeth and good breath now.

They really like the biccies (even though they were meant for Mango it's Chutney who loves them) and the vet actually told me about a little home made experiment they did to test the biccies; where they put tippex on to the end of a biro and then stabbed the biccy with the biro, the pen came out clean- (supposed to simulate plaque on a tooth) I know this does not sound particularly scientifically proven but it gave you the idea.

As long as my two still love them I will continue to give them these biccies, though I don't know how well they keep the plaque off?!

[Helen+Sassy]

OK...Sassy defintely crunches so maybe that will help scuff off some of the plaque? She does love dry food and seems to be very reluctant on wet. I work full-time and spend my home time snowed-under with housework and looking after my reef aquarium so I don't really have time to cook her her own meals from scratch every day however I always give her a small handful of plain, lean meat when we have some for dinner (most nights) so I will continue to do that. I think I've seen plaque-off in Pets at Home (I used to work there) so I will get some of that for when she occasionally takes a bit of wet food  thanks for the advice

[Gillian Harvey]

Unfortunately dry food doesnt actually clean the teeth as was once thought, it can actually contribute to dental problems as the biscuit tends to shatter and the resulting debris accumulates around the teeth - plus, many cats don't crunch - they just swallow! so no benefit for the teeth at all. Of course wet food also doesnt do anything for the teeth either, but a diet closer to what cats would eat in the wild, i.e. raw meat/bones, so things like feeding chunks of raw meat and chicken wings, will help keep teeth clean.

You can also add things like Plaque Off to the food which is supposed to help prevent plaque formation, and Logic Gel is also supposed to help.

[Helen+Sassy]

Sassy currently has Royal Canin - I buy the 'Beauty' Duck one then when I run out I buy 'Lively' which is a Fish one, then I continue to alternate with the same two flavours...

Anyway, now shes had a full scale and polish I want to give her the best chance of not developing the same tartar build-up again, I need a complete dry food and I don't mind paying for premium brands or having to order online. I have about a month's worth of Royal Canin left to wean her over with. Mum once told me that a high ash content was good for teeth but I don't know if theres any truth in that? Can anyone suggest anything tasty?