>My little Pixie a 2.5 year old 660 gram ferret has broken her canine
>(fang) tooth.  She broke the tip of it off.  It still comes down far
>enough to touch her bottom lip.  Since she broke the tooth I notice
>that she grinds her teeth.  She doesn't grind her teeth while eating
>she grinds her teeth when I pick her up and look at her, not touching
>the tooth mind you.  It is the weirdest thing.
 
It sounds like she has pain somewhere else - like where you're touching
her when you pick her up.  Tooth grinding is usually seen with GI pain,
but it can be from other pains as well.
 
I would guess that the tooth is not hurting her too much.  We've had
several breaks here, and they usually don't seem to slow the ferret down.
Judging by your description, it doesn't sound like a bad break.  If she
hasn't exposed the pulp canal, then then tooth is still intact and may
only need to be smoothed if it's a sharp break.
 
If the pulp canal is exposed, then the best solution is a root canal and
cap.  It's more expensive than extracting the tooth, but well worth it in
my opinion.  If you can't afford that, you will want to have the tooth
extracted.  An open pulp canal will lead to infection and abcess if left
untreated.
 
You will want to take Pixie to a veterinary endodontist to have that
tooth checked out.  Ask your regular vet for a referral.  If you can't
find an endodontist, have your regular vet take a look at the tooth.
Be aware that most general practice vets have neither the training nor
equipment to do root canals though.  They will be able to tell whether
the pulp canal is exposed or not, and will better be able to advise you
on the next steps.
 
roger
[Posted in FML issue 4488]