8 1/2 year old maltese with lots of rotten teeth and maybe 1 front tooth missing

Question
We have a senior Maltese male dog. He is 8 1/2 years old. He has rotten teeth I think, which cause him pain from time to time. Vets always say to get them extracted but I have also heard that this isn't always best for small dogs and I heard that I should take him to a canine orthodontist. We haven't really ever professionally cleaned his teeth, just at home.
I heard about "doggy braces" that can help save teeth.
I don't want to extract the teeth because I am scared he won't eat after that and I don't want to lose him. Surely there is some sort of treatment for a common problem such as poor oral hygeine and tooth decay in dogs?
Nikita eats My Dog dog food, the one in the small foil container and he also eats cooked chicken/meat with and without broth. From time to time he chews on freshies or those green bones that are supposed to be good for his teeth. Sometimes he eats dry biscuits but not all the time.

He has problems with the discs in his back and sometimes a nerve pinches and we have to rush him to emergency and give him NSAIDs administered by a vet. We give him a mixture that I bought from the internet for his joints. It is called joint max. We haven't had any problems for a few months now. I hope his health contiunues. Other than this he doesn't have any other problems. He is pretty happy. He is an inside dog and is still quite active. Are there some supplements/herbs to buy or a holistic approach I can take to help with the teeth rotting? I think it's hard to introduce new foods at his age because he simply won't eat it.
Please help me. I love my dog so much!


Answer
Well Stella, You sure are doing a great job with your maltese.
I am going to have you talk with this gal in your country.  She has lots of holisitc help with herbs...
here is Silvia's link - she is under "Alternatives" for pets, here at All Experts -
I bet she can help better than I.
She knows what is available in your country:
go here:
http://www.allexperts.com/ep/3721-86050/Alternative-Medicine-Pets/Silva-Mirovics...