General dentistry
-
General dentists often are among the first to be consulted when a patient experiences facial pain. Frequently, the cause is obvious. ⋯ Three common pain syndromes that may be confused with odontogenic pain are discussed: temporal tendinitis, Ernest syndrome, and atypical trigeminal neuralgia. The symptoms, diagnostic procedures, and treatments for all three disorders are presented, as is a newly described muscle, the zygomandibularis.