To Mike Janke, withu a broken canine tooth (on his ferret)
 
        Broken canine teeth are fairly common in ferrets.  The most common cause
is chewing on something harder than their teeth, especially cage wire, but I
suppose a fall could also break a tooth.
 
        Most canines do fine, if less than half is broken off.  The sign that a
tooth has a bad break is a dark discoloration (indicating death of the pulp) or
pain when you open the mouth.
 
        My suggestion is that you have your vet check it out.  If it is jagged
or sharp, he/she can file it down.  Yes there are such things as veterinary
dentists, but they are reserved for some of the more delicate procedures such as
root canals and implants.
 
        Your vet should be able to check out this problem with no problem....
 
       Bruce Williams, DVM                 Department of Veterinary Pathology
       [log in to unmask]         Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
       (202) 576-2453/2454                 Washington, D.C.  20306-6000
 
[Posted in FML issue 0965]