Bonjour! I've been very busy fo a while and still trying to catch the back issues of FML... And there have been a lot of question about teeth. So in response to: David: re: broken tooth... As you say that your ferret doesn't seem to have any discomfort and only a thin chip of the tooth is missing, you should not be anxious by now... If you see darker spot in the next weeks or months, it will be the dentin who is is getting stained. When a tooth breaks without pulp exposition but with exposed dentin, a nociceptive reaction (pain) may happens when cold, hot or sweet things come in contact to the fresh exposed dentin. But as the dentin becomes more mineralized with the mineral components of the saliva, the incomfort decreases and no treatment needed (for ferret not for human ;). IF the pulp is exposed, an intolerable pain will take place and you can see a small red spot (pulp) in the center of exposed part of the broken tooth. Treatment should be done rapidly to avoid pain and subsequent infection. It can be: extraction (too radical...), pulpotomy (partial ablation of the pulp, medication and filling) or root canal treatment... More and more vets have some knowledge about dentistery and dentists can help for special treatment like root canal... One of my collegue had performed a root canal treatment on an elephant! John: re: falling tooth... Your baby is become an adult now ;) It's just normal that the teeth fall like that because for ferrets, humans and all mammals, deciduous or baby teeth fall after their(s) root(s) having been resorbed as the permanent teeth coming. But don't forget to put the tooth under the pillow of your ferret to let "la fee des dents" take it and leave a raisin instead!!! Anne et ses furets: @-"-@ @---@ o__o ( 0-0 ) <=*"*=> (. . ) ---------oOO--\Y/--OOo------oOO--\o/--OOo------ooO--\v/--Ooo-------------- Victor 8> Hugo 8> Adele :> Anne Charbonneau DMD MSc [log in to unmask] Tel: (514) 343-5924 Professeure adjoint [log in to unmask] Fax: (514) 343-2233 Faculte de medecine dentaire Universite de Montreal [Posted in FML issue 1376]