I'm a vet tech, and I do up to 3 dental cleanings per week. Anesthesia does carry risks, it's true, but it is much safer now than it was even a few years ago. All of the patients whose teeth I clean have a second person whose job it is to constantly monitor their vital signs, and we note ANY change in heart rate, mucous membrane color, blood pressure, capillary refill time, etc, and let the doctor know so that she can respond to any problems before they become bad.

That said, the only time I have even seen an anesthetic emergency was a very sick cat who was going to die without surgery....and he pulled through fine.

Dental disease in pets can lead to kidney, liver, and heart disease, so we try to have our clients get their pets teeth cleaned annually (we offer a special discount during the winter season) AND take care of the teeth at home. Once your pup has all of the stuff causing the "sewer breath" cleaned out, the regular maintenance you are doing should keep them nice.

You can also ask about C.E.T. rinses and chews, which have Chlorhexidine in them. Chorhexidine kills oral bacteria and prevents them from returning for several hours....so it's great for maintaining clean teeth.