From:
"Roger Vaughn"
Date: 2004-03-11 17:53:24 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] Damage to canine tooth
To: <ferrethealth@smartgroups.com>
Cc: <ferretgm@yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <29435.161.254.5.251.1079027604.squirrel@mail.seaconinc.com>
Melissa,
Unfortunately I have WAY too much experience with this...
What you're looking for is a veterinary endodontist. Your regular vet
is likely to be qualified only in basic dentistry - cleaning and
extractions. You could be surprised, though - it's worth at least
calling them to ask about it. You may actually need a referral from
your vet anyway if you can find an endodontist in your area. Many
specialists will only take referrals. Your best bet is to call your
vet first and see who he or she recommends.
There's little reason Spring should need the tooth extracted. If the
tooth is still in decent shape, a root canal should take care of it.
It's going to be a lot more expensive than an extraction, though. (I
pay about $400 for a root canal around here, but then, Tampa vet
services seem especially expensive anyway.)
The good news is that my endodontist tells me that ferret teeth are
some of the easiest to root canal - they have very simple, straight
roots, making it easy to clean out the whole thing.
Are you seeing the dark band around the outside of the tooth, or in
the center of the tip? If the former, that's not too good, but not
necessarily disastrous. It just means the root decay is well
advanced. If the latter, that's just the pulp canal you're seeing.
The fact that the tooth is discolored means that the break probably
happened a while ago, and the root is more than likely dead already.
The big problem with breaks like this is that the pulp canal has
direct access to the blood supply - which makes it an excellent route
for infection. The tooth definitely needs to be cleaned out, and she
may need to be on antibiotics for a week or two.
Ferrets' canines support their lips and help keep them out of the way
of their teeth. They will adjust to the loss of a canine, but like
you, I like to save the tooth if possible. Unless the tooth is
severely decayed, or broken high up and awkwardly, a root canal can
fix it. It sounds like Spring is a good candidate for one.
You should make arrangements to get her that root canal soon, but it's
not necessary to go on an emergency basis or anything like that.
She's not likely to do much more harm to the tooth in the couple of
weeks it may take you to see a specialist.
Good luck!
roger