Book excerpt: This book is a concise guide to the correct diagnosis and management of dental pain and anxiety. It covers psychology theories about pain, dentine sensitivity, hypersensitivity and cracked tooth syndrome. Chronic pain, temporomandibular disorders and local anesthesia are discussed, and optimal medical and perioperative pain management explained. The book is written by leading experts in the field and provides an up to date, pragmatic perspective on optimizing pain and anxiety management in the dental patient. It includes an overview of differential diagnoses of non-odontogenic orofacial pain. As well as meeting the needs of dentists, the book will be a "must read" for whole dental team.