The difficult differential diagnosis.

The mere complaint of "toothache" pain does not always indicate the need for endodontic treatment. As pointed out in this paper, there are many entities, both odontogenic and nonodontogenic, that can give rise to or mimic pulpal-periapical pain. Conventional and appropriate diagnostic tests should be performed routinely no matter how obvious the preliminary diagnosis may seem. This habit of gathering all pertinent data provides the foundation for accurate diagnosis and avoids the embarrassment and unnecessary treatment associated with a quick, presumptive, and at times, incorrect diagnosis.