Force-feeding IS extremely dangerous, and can perforate the esophagus. I simply do not recommend it under any circumstances. If you have to get food into an animal, and assist-feeding won't work, then tube-feed it some carnivore care, or something. (I've virtually never been unable to get a hatchling assist-fed, though. I just keep trying...some of them refuse and spit it out repeatedly until they're so exhausted they sit there for 15 minutes with it, but they eventually swallow it, and I win, lol).
This is part of the reason I intervene early, though. Putting a hatchling through that after it was thin and didn't have good bodily reserves could be quite dangerous. It is extremely stressful, if the hatchling resists.