Dear Karla:
 
>Daisy has broken off one of her top two "fang" (incisor?) teeth, about 1/8
>inch up - so it appears like the tip is gone, plus just a little more.
>How do you tell if it bothers them?  Should we just have it pulled?  And
>if we should have it pulled - do you pull the matching tooth on the other
>side (top) of the mouth so her bite will be even and not stress her jaw?
 
With a tooth injury such as you describe, you don't have to do anything.
Broken canines are common in ferrets, and this is not a bad break.  In
ferrets, the pulp does not extend far into the tooth, and the pulp actually
gets narrower and extends less far as the animal ages.  (So an older ferret
can brak off the canine slightly closer to the gumline than a young
ferret).
 
Many ferrets have canines broken half off or more with no significant
problems.  If the break is jagged, you may want to have your vet smooth
it off, but usually no other care is required.
 
Things to look for when a canine is broken off would be discoloration of
the tooth or a resistance to eating.  This would indicate discomfort and
would be a sign that a vet neds to see the tooth.  But an eight of an inch
shouldn't be a problem.
 
Pulling canine teeth can be a real problem - the root goes very deep into
the bone, and sometimes, when removed, you end up with a hole between the
mouth and the nasal cavity (called a fistula) which requires additional
surgery to close over time.  Not a pretty occurrence, so we take canine
tooth extraction very seriously in animals.
 
with kindest regards,
Bruce Williams,d VM
[Posted in FML issue 3282]