Clean healthy teeth are usually directly related to diet. Unless there is some sort of occlusion issue or jaw malformation ; the biggest contributor to poor oral health is an improper diet- usually a starchy kibble diet. Or a soft food/soup diet. Starches are sugars which bacteria enjoy feeding upon. Starches and soft foods stick to the teeth and get packed into the gum line. Then the bacteria get to have a field day. Continued build up of this bacterial sludge turns to tartar, then to calculus and will eventually invade the tooth enamel and even erode the jaw bone! The easiest way to clean teeth is to convert the ferret to a natural diet. Or at the very least get it to eat chicken necks. As the teeth cleave through the skin and sinews of the neck they get gently cleaned right up to and above the gum line. As the meat gets chewed from the bones the teeth get gently scraped clean. The tiny ligaments that tie the teeth to the jawbone become strengthened and the gums will eventually bond closer to the teeth. I've seen it happen on multiple ferrets of all ages, with varying stages of poor oral health. It does take a little time. If there is a lot of build up you may want to get a jump start on the cleaning by taking the ferret to a vet. Don't be surprised if the ferret's first attempt at chewing on the chicken neck results in bleeding gums. Just as a vet's cleaning will cause bleeding gums too. The upside is that the chicken necks will also nourish your ferret as well as offer good oral health! So yes, your ferret may need vet care and YES you can fix this on your own! No amount of manual brushing will offer the multiple benefits for good oral health that a proper diet offers. Good luck! Kim [Posted in FML 7098]