Nothing takes the place of a dental. As for anesthesia risks, they are so minimal...the risk of a pup getting sick (heart and kidney problems) from periodontal disease is extremely high.
Dentals done without anesthesia are not recommended....that is very stressful to a pup..not to mention that it is impossible to do a dental correctly like that.
All of my pups get dentals as needed and have been for many, many years. As long as you have a good vet with up to date anesthetic procedures, there should not be a problem.
Here is the link to the American Veterinary Dental College...
Information for Owners | AVDC - American Veterinary Dental College
And...here is their statement on dental scaling without anesthesia:
http://www.avdc.org/dentalscaling.html