Brenda,
 
        Dr. Williams may well have comments, but in case he's out of
town/busy (haven't seen a message from him in a couple of days), I ran your
question past our dentistry clinician, Dr. Sandra Manfra.  Brown colour would
indicate that this tooth is dead/dying, and to be honest, there's not much of
any way you can stop that process.  The only way you can save the tooth from
probably eventually having to be extracted is root canal.  Dr. Manfra has
done this in ferrets and she says it's just like doing a cat.  No experience
with ferret dentistry is necessary.  This procedure *is* a bit pricey, but
more and more people are having it done.  If you're interested and you have a
vet in the area who loves dentistry, I'd see him/her, or most vet schools
also have dentistry clinicians/residents.  This is not an emergency per se,
but do be aware and watch closely if you want to wait for your regular vet to
return.  Dead teeth can abscess, and this is very painful.  Watch for
swelling of the gums, and especially a swelling on the face underneath the
eye.  Lack of appetite (because it hurts to eat) and/or unexplained lack of
energy are also things to watch for.
 
 
Laura
 
Laura L'Heureux
U. of Illinois Vet Med Class of `96
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[Posted in FML issue 1038]