9 Months with Tinnitus Caused by, I Think, TMJ

My tinnitus started in March and has been an unwanted soundtrack throughout lockdown. I suspect that my tinnitus is linked to TMJ as my dentist has been concerned for some time about my teeth grinding and jaw clicking. I have been using a mouthguard from Amazon over the past four months which hasn't helped my tinnitus but I have noticed that I no longer get pain in my left ear when listening to certain pitches of voice on Zoom calls at work. I take it this is hyperacusis? I also no longer get a fluttering sensation in my ear or a feeling of blocked ears.

My dentist referred me to the dental surgery department of Guys Hospital for further exploration today which I had high hopes would lead me on the road to recovery from tinnitus. Unfortunately I was examined by someone who had no idea about the link between TMJ and tinnitus which was really disappointing. She did however point out that the muscles around my temporal mandibular joint, (on my left tinnitus side) are taught and over worked from teeth grinding and clenching and that I should investigate massage to help with this. Having not got very far on the TMJ side of things, I was wondering if I should seek advice from an ENT / Audiologist? (It was an ENT department who initially suggested back in March that my tinnitus was TMJ related after seeing the results of an MRI that I had done privately).

I'm also wondering if the more I try and solve this problem the more of an issue it will become. I find tinnitus exasperating at times and would love to be rid of it but I have had more debilitating medical conditions that have caused constant physical pain and I'm just thankful that tinnitus at least does not cause pain.

 

Hi,

In my 11 week experience, ENTs are not very helpful. The specialist, an otologist was not very helpful either. I also went to a TMJ specialist, who conducted several tests which caused my jaw to feel tight and hurt. I'm interested in what you find out about TMJ. I never had it prior to 11 weeks ago, no pain at all.