ryand

After watching several YouTube related videos, hanging out with my neurologist neighbor and learning tons from a TMD Doctor, my suspicion is that my low level based Tinnitus that I’ve had for years is amplified by irritation, excitation, and inflammation to both Trigeminal nerves (C5). The C5 nerve may be affected by chronically fatigued masseters, misaligned teeth (Malocclusion) possibly due to clenching during stress and/or habits formed during 13 months of soft Invisalign retainers, maybe misaligned cervical, and shortened SCM muscles not to boot 20 years of computer use and forward head posture. My current retainers do make a positive difference.

My belief that the chronic nature of this is temporary and result of a complication of several things, and things have improved. I have always had a baselined Tinnitus, I was just unaware of it. I think we all do to a degree. Was it ever completely silent?

The evidence to this Trigeminal Irritation theory can be found during a Tinnitus spike. For me, this is when the muscles around ear “pull” and ache plus my vision is affected both far and close up. Refer to picture below to see why. My deep jaw muscles seem tight and tender to applied pressure and the Tinnitus sound is amplified when exposed to a complication of sounds like large rooms of people.

Based on readings and expert opinions, linked studies, I agree that the Trigeminal (C5) is networked to the sensory function of the auditory system in many ways partly a result of that one small spider nerve going to the small muscle of the ear. Specifically, it connects to the tensor muscle of the tympanic membranes of the ear. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2848459/

My non-scientific explanation of this. One of the 2 tiny muscles in the ear is responsible for protecting the ear by responding to a nerve impulse driven by the auditory brain area that is constantly monitoring sound and when a loud sound occurs it tightens and prevents damage to the ear.