How often have we encountered patients who present to our office with a toothache that is hard to diagnose? This can be both challenging and frustrating, especially if the source of the pain is not the tooth itself. In order to accomplish this difficult task, we must first familiarize ourselves with various pain conditions that could mimic a toothache. Then we must proceed with a proper assessment of the pain in order to achieve a differential diagnosis. Finally, we must administer appropriate treatment to relieve our patient.

The objectives for this lecture are the following:

• Familiarize ourselves with various pain conditions that could mimic a toothache.
• Recognize the clinical characteristics of the most common conditions.
• Learn a step-by-step approach for appropriate assessment.
• Formulate a differential diagnosis.
• Chose the appropriate treatment for each condition.