I thought I'd pass my experience on with ferrets and dental work.  My
4 1/2 year old albino, Cotton, went in two weeks ago for a cleaning (her
first ever).  While she was there, she received a root canal for one of
her canine teeth that she broke the tip off of awhile ago.  They were
even able to reconstruct the canine so it is now the same length as the
other one.  She's been a lot more playful and happy since the cleaning,
so I'm convinced that one of two things happened:
 
1. The tartar on her teeth were causing her some discomfort.
2. The tip that broke off of her canine tooth caused more discomfort
   than is generally expected, since it's so common for ferrets to
   break the tip of a canine tooth.
 
Maybe both things are true, I don't know.  I do know that she's become
more of a troublemaker ( :) than before, and really tears around the
apartment with Onyx!
 
Her dental work was done by Kenneth Lyon at Mesa Veterinary Hospital,
in Mesa, Arizona.  He's a dental specialist on staff, and the total
bill was $430.
 
Craig
[Posted in FML issue 4065]