From:
Bruce Williams, DVM
Date: 2001-03-18 22:24:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Tooth poking lip
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., demilia1@h... wrote:
> There is a ferret in a pet store near me whose lower fang is
growing
> outward and poking into his upper lip. ... Do I need to be
concerned of
> any other health problems caused by his tooth poking a hole in his
> lip; is having a fang removed going to cause him problems as far as
> eating; aside from having the tooth removed is he going to need
other
> medical help (i.e. antibiotics) because of it poking into his lip?
As Mike said - many ferrets with malocclusion will simply not
develop any serious problems - a quick exam will identify a cut or
abrasion from the tooth. If there is no such evidence of a problem,
then I probably wouldn't worry about it.
If there is, I wouldn't go so far as to remove the tooth, right off.
As anyone with ferrets who have broken their teeth know, the pulp
cavity does not penetrate as far into the tooth as it does in humans,
dogs, or cats. I would probably try to adjust the level of the tip
of the tooth prior than to extract it. Canine tooth roots extend
deeply into the bone - in the lower jaw, extraction runs a small risk
of fracturing the jaw, while in the upper jaw, you run a somewhat
larger risk of causing a hole which communicates between the oral and
nasal cavity (oronasal fistula).
With kindest regards,
Bruce H. Williams, DVM, DACVP
Join the Ferret Health List at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ferret-Health-list