By eating raw meaty bones your dog has to chew through soft bone and meat, this scrapes the plaque off the teeth and provides a gum massage that increases circulation.
Recreational bones do not have the same effect; these bones are harder than your dog's teeth and so instead of crunching through these types of bone your dog just grinds away eventually wearing down their teeth.

Dental disease is one of the leading illnesses in dogs today. Everyone is familiar with the term "dog breath" - this is not normal! Your dog or cat's breath should NOT smell. If your dog or cat has stinky breath that means that they are suffering from periodontal disease. Periodontal disease can also cause systemic problems in the body due to the constant presence of bacteria in their system. You will truly be amazed at the difference in your dog or cat's oral health after switching to raw meaty bones!
BETTER DIGESTION
Dogs and cats have a very short, acidic digestive system that is designed to digest food quickly and effectively, greatly reducing the threat of bacteria. Dogs are technically a sub species of the wolf, sharing extremely close genetics and nutritional needs. Cats are considered obligatory carnivores, meaning that they MUST eat meat in order to survive. Our house cats are no different than the hardy barn cats that live off of mice out in the country.