Brenda, Dr. Williams may well have comments, but in case he's out of town/busy (haven't seen a message from him in a couple of days), I ran your question past our dentistry clinician, Dr. Sandra Manfra. Brown colour would indicate that this tooth is dead/dying, and to be honest, there's not much of any way you can stop that process. The only way you can save the tooth from probably eventually having to be extracted is root canal. Dr. Manfra has done this in ferrets and she says it's just like doing a cat. No experience with ferret dentistry is necessary. This procedure *is* a bit pricey, but more and more people are having it done. If you're interested and you have a vet in the area who loves dentistry, I'd see him/her, or most vet schools also have dentistry clinicians/residents. This is not an emergency per se, but do be aware and watch closely if you want to wait for your regular vet to return. Dead teeth can abscess, and this is very painful. Watch for swelling of the gums, and especially a swelling on the face underneath the eye. Lack of appetite (because it hurts to eat) and/or unexplained lack of energy are also things to watch for. Laura Laura L'Heureux U. of Illinois Vet Med Class of `96 [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML issue 1038]