Shall I get my dog's teeth descaled?

[Epictantrum]

My dog (aged 7) sees the vet or a veterinary nurse every 6 months for a general check up. The last few times they have commented that his teeth have some plaque and have given advice on cleaning. For the past 2 years I have cleaned his teeth daily. We tried some of the plaque-off powder in his food but it gave him diarrhoea so we had to stop it. The last time he went, he saw a trainee dental nurse who recommended teeth descaling and sent through an estimate for about £500 for the treatment (which seems about right compared to what other vets charge).
My difficulty is that I don't know how necessary the treatment is. I didn't trust that the trainee nurse really knew much about it. She didn't discuss pros and cons of having the treatment. My dog is very anxious about the vet so I don't want to put him through it if it isn't strictly necessary (not to mention the anaesthetic risk and the cost!), but I'm worried about risks of a much larger procedure needing doing in the future, and obviously don't want the dog to be in pain or unwell. I could ask to see the vet to discuss but that will cost more and to be honest I feel the practice is quite money oriented and I don't trust that their recommendation will necessarily be in his best interests.
I'm not sure how to proceed to be honest. Does anyone have any experience or advice? Thanks

My dog has scale building up on his teeth and I was concerned I have attempted cleaning his teeth and it made him so stressed. He’s just had his annual check up and the vet said as long as his gums are fine which they are dont do anything at the moment.
My vets who are mainly farm vets in a very rural area are very against anaesthesia for dogs unless it’s absolutely necessary and will charge 35% of what you’ve been quoted!

We feed our dogs raw carrots. It's helped to get some of the plaque off their teeth. Worth a try before you shell out £500!

Vet here. Some tartar is what we call "cosmetic" ie not causing pain or issues. But when you start to get a red line at the gum it means the tartar is undermining the gum. At this stage removing it is beneficial, as if you leave it the gum can become diseased and cause the tooth to become loose. So it's trying to do it in time to prevent tooth loss (sometimes when the tartar is removed the gum has been pushed back so much that the tooth root is exposed and needs to be extracted (more expensive, and more painful for the dog).

But also, if you don't trust your vet you should find another! You should be able to trust that your vet is doing the best for your dog and aren't trying to just make money

That's really helpful, thanks. I just tried to have a better look at the gums but he wasn't in the mood, I'll try again tomorrow!

Dental health is just as important in dogs as it is in people - if it’s not improving with home treatments then a full scale under sedation isn’t a bad idea - you can then start again from scratch with chews and carrots etc. to maintain it.