Some veterinarians are starting to do non-anesthesia cleanings. There are several in my area.
Nikki is 2.5 and hasn't yet needed to go for a cleaning. She is calm about having her teeth brushed and we started right away. We started off very slow, a step at a time.
Can you try and get Bisou to lick the toothpaste off of your finger the first time, then try and rub a bit on her front teeth the second time, then increase as you go along?
You know I've seen videos on this and the dog was being very good, BUT I'm telling you, there is NO way MOST of our clients' dogs would hold still for this. (I mean this threat started with someone not being able to hold the dog dog for brushing, how do you think it would do for ultrasonic scaling!) I could probably try this on my dogs...but I don't feel I'd do a good enough job. I do click of tartar and scale them with a hand scaler and they let me, but the US...that would be tough.
I do 3-4 dentals a week. I just did my own dog two weeks ago. She is 5 and this is her 3rd dental. It should have been her 4th. Some dogs NEED a dental every year (some even less than that). If you wait until they are really bad, you risk having to have teeth pulled and/or organ damage from the bacteria that has gotten into the bloodstream.
Indi had to have 8 teeth pulled. Her entire bottom row of incisors and her two upper, inside her canines. She had SA and used to pull at any type of confinement I'd put her in, so made her teeth extremely loose. The last time, Dr. Heather said if she were any other client's dog, she'd pull them but she'd let them go since it was my dog and I'd watch them. Well, I couldn't save them...and I have to say, Indi feels SO much better with them out. She's playing kill the toy game again and she's running and playing with the other two way more often.
It is a curse of small breed dogs. They are tiny tiny with tiny teeth and those are the ones we need to dentals on the most often and those are the ones we have to pull teeth on the most often. Yorkies, in my experience, are the worst. Most teeth pulled so far at this clinic: 17 on a 2lb yorkie. They were all falling out of her head. she was 3 years old. It was awful. It made me sick. It also made me do a dental on my dog and stop putting it off!! Yes, there is a risk if put under, but do the full panel bloodwork before.
Bad teeth hurt. It is important to get them cleaned if the vet deems it necessary. It can be difficult to brush the little one's teeth as the paste tends to gag them and they seem to have a hard time with that. Then it becomes a learned behavior, they struggle, you let go and fight on!
I know it is scary to think of them going under anesthesia but it is just as dangerous to not get it done.