I went to get my tooth pulled and the oral surgeon said that he wasn't sure that it was the nerve, that it could be the gum. So, he suggested I go to an endodontist ( root canal dentist) to have the tooth tested for nerve damage. I went and he basically applied cold to the tooth, really cold. That tooth had no reaction. So, he said it was dead. He didn't try to get me to do a root canal or nothing. I guess he knew I was more interested in pulling it than saving it.