ABSTRACT
General dental practitioners routinely manage the sequelae of pulpal and periapical inflammation. Differential diagnosis of facial pain can however be very challenging. The patient with endodontic disease will not necessarily present with toothache, and a pain that may at first appear to be of endodontic origin could be referred from elsewhere or even be psychogenic. A careful and methodical approach to history taking, examination and applying special tests will save time and expense at a later date. Cutting corners can unfortunately lead to embarrassing mistakes, and possibly litigation.
