The dentist will perform a complete oral examination to determine the location and cause of the toothache, looking for signs of swelling, redness and obvious tooth damage. He or she can also use X-rays to look for evidence of tooth decay between teeth, broken or affected teeth, or turbid bones in the roots - problems that the dentist may not find through routine examination.
Your dentist may also take painkillers or antibiotics to speed up the healing of toothache. If your teeth have been infected when you see your dentist, treatment may require removal of the teeth or root canal surgery, which involves removing damaged nerve tissue from the middle of the teeth.
