https://www.aaha.org/your-pet/pet-owner-education/ask-aaha/Anesthesia-and-Dental-Cleaning/

Is anesthesia necessary for my pet’s dental cleaning?

Your pet must be anesthetized to allow thorough evaluation of his mouth, clean his teeth above and below the gumline, and treat painful dental conditions. According to the 2019 AAHA Dental Care Guidelines for Dogs and Cats, anesthesia-free dentistry is neither safer nor sufficiently comparable to supra- and subgingival cleaning in an anesthetized patient, and is therefore unacceptable. Although owners’ fear of anesthesia is the most common reason pets don’t receive medically necessary dental care, most animals do well under anesthesia and have few complications.

Why is anesthesia needed for dental procedures in pets?

Only a limited oral exam and tartar removal above the gumline is possible without anesthesia. Dental anesthesia is critical for a complete, thorough cleaning for the following reasons:

• An awake animal is unlikely to allow a veterinarian to poke around his mouth with dental instruments. A complete exam that allows the veterinarian to fully determine the extent of dental disease and oral problems only can be performed on an anesthetized patient.
• Dental X-rays should be taken prior to every dental cleaning and anesthesia is required to keep pets still. Since 60% of a tooth is below the gumline, problems such as retained roots, root fractures, and periodontal disease only can be detected on radiographs. Without X-rays, many dental problems go undiagnosed and untreated.
• A complete dental cleaning involves evaluation of pocket depth, tartar scaling above and below the gums, and polishing. Subgingival tartar removal, which is critically necessary to prevent dental disease progression, requires the insertion of dental instruments below the gumline, which can be uncomfortable.
• Most patients will not hold still for tartar removal, which involves poking, prodding, bright lights, and sharp instruments. Even the limited cleaning that anesthesia-free dentistry permits is traumatic for a pet and may make him afraid to visit the veterinarian in the future.
• Many pets hide painful dental problems and a proper dental cleaning can hurt sensitive teeth. Anesthesia allows your pet to rest pain-free throughout the cleaning, even when painful procedures, such as tooth extractions, are necessary.
• A thorough dental exam and X-rays may reveal problems requiring immediate action that can't be treated without anesthesia. If your pet already is anesthetized, problems can be addressed immediately so he returns to you with a healthy mouth.

Plaque is soft and comes off with a brush. Calculus (aka tartar) is calcified plaque and doesn’t come off with a brush. Which are you trying to remove and from what part of the mouth? I don’t know what vets use for calculus removal in animals but for humans you use small, sharp hand instruments or a powered ultrasonic device. I suspect vets use the latter which I imagine are rather pricey especially if it didn’t work out.

Oh My!

is this Your First dog? Would you use a dremel tool on your children.

Finger cots, then tooth brushes.

Thank you. Have a sweet Aussie niece and would not want her subjected to DIY canine dentistry.🐾🐾🐕

"is this Your First dog? Would you use a dremel tool on your children.(sic)"

No, and I wouldn't use a dremel tool on my children's nails - but do so on dog's nails.