Perhaps I should have explained why I think that the Maiar inhabiting the Dragons are weaker than the Balrogs (assuming that the Maia-theory is correct, of course...).
I think it is accepted by most of the people that the Dragons were inhabited by Maiar. This means that the Dragons were a pre-existing species (corrupted by Morgoth, from some dinosaurs/lizards, perhaps?), and that the Maiarin spirits just took over the bodies of these animals. The Maiar inhabiting the Dragons didn't have to spend their powers in creating and maintaining the body. These Maiar didn't have to invest any power of their own in making the Dragons formidable combat-machines - fire-breathing and all the other nasty stuff were either natural to the animal or introduced to the species by Morgoth's tinkering. The Maia only needed to control the body. The Balrogs had incarnated in their bodies themselves, and they had had to spend some of their power to that. Unlike with the Dragons, their natural power also set limits to the form they assumed, and that's why they aren't the ultimate killing machines combining a Dragon's breath and size and a Balrog's skill and magic.
And by the way, I disagree with the assertion that Dragons were more dangerous than Balrogs. The Dragons might have been more efficient in battling large armies, but they were certainly more vulnerable to more skilled opponents.
Turin killed Glaurung... Earendil killed Ancalagon... Fram killed Scatha... Bard killed Smaug... and each of these dragon-slayers survived the fight - and these four are all the dragon-slayings we know of in Middle-earth. The War of Wrath, where many Dragons were slain, was left out though (but there is still a pattern here).
Glorfindel killed a Balrog... Echtelion killed a Balrog... Gandalf killed a Balrog... and all the Balrog-slayers died themselves in the fight. These are the only Balrog-slayings, again excluding the War of Wrath (there the Balrogs were probably opposed by more than just one mighty Elf-lord or Maia).
Thingol: IIRC = If I recall correctly
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