Toothache usually denotes to pain in and around the teeth. In most cases, toothache is caused by problems in teeth or jaw, like dental cavity, broken tooth, exposed root, gum  problems, disease of the temporomandibular joint (jaw joint), or due to spasms in the chewing muscles. The severity can vary from persistent and mild to acute and excruciating. The tooth pain can be provoked by mastication or by ingestion of cold or hot.

Occasionally, the toothache might be due to the problem not arising from a tooth or the mouth. Toothache and oral pain could be the symptoms of angina or heart attack (diseases of the heart), inner or outer ear infections, and sinuses. For example, the pain of angina is usually found in the chest area or arm. Though, in many patients with angina, pain in tooth or jaw is the only symptom of their underlying heart disease. Infections and conditions of the sinuses and ears can also produce pain in the region of the teeth and jaws. Hence, assessment by both doctors and dentists are many times essential to diagnose medical diseases causing toothache.