Patients should always consult with their dentists to make sure the toothache is of dental origin. Regular dental and medical checkups are the best line of defense in the prevention of dental and medical disease. Any pain in a tooth or gums, whether a dull throbbing or sharp ache should be brought to your dentist's attention. A tooth abscess is possible. This is formed when pus accumulates in the bone and tissue near a tooth that has had an injury or one that has had a very deep filling or cavity.
Common treatment is root canal or extraction.
If your dentist feels the tooth can be saved, a root canal may be performed. Extraction of an abscessed tooth may be suggested as an alternative to root canal. A bridge, partial denture or implant is a suitable replacement for missing teeth and may help the other teeth from shifting. A very deep filling or an injury may have inflamed the nerve in the center of the tooth. If there is no exposure of the nerve inside the tooth, a sedative filling may be necessary to alleviate the pain.