Additional Intermittent Noise on Top of Existing Tinnitus

I've had tinnitus for as long as I can remember (around elementary school). It's a constant high pitch that I hear in both ears.

Just last weekend, I started hearing a louder higher pitch sound ONLY in my right ear, probably 2 octaves higher than my current tinnitus. This new one however is not constant. If I am sitting up straight in my chair, I don't hear it.
I can force it to sound by...

• Looking downwards (forcing a double-chin)
• Sometimes when I turn my head left or right
• Spitting/Aggressive swallowing
• Chewing food
• Running/jogging
• Some other physical movement that puts pressure around the head area.

Even after forcing it to sound, it usually lasts at most 2 seconds. A lot of times, it sounds like a high pitch chirp. There has been 2 instances where it stayed constantly on for a couple minutes which was extremely deafening.

When I'm lying down on my bed, it's usually fine at first, but every night in the middle of the night after I have fallen asleep, it decides to have a field day and sounds like birds chirping all night and wakes me up. It goes on and off in less than one second intervals and is unbearable.

I visited the ENT and performed a sound test with the Audiologist, who said that my hearing is perfect. The doctor that came afterwards then says that since it's not a constant noise that doesn't physically exist, what I have is not tinnitus. He said that there's nothing else they could do since I have no hearing loss and my ear looks fine, and he recommended that I buy a white noise maker. Then I was sent home.

I started wearing braces around 5 or 6 months ago due to an overbite, and I'm wondering if the teeth movement has anything to do with it. I'm thinking about visiting a TMJ specialist, but wanted to hear some opinion or experiences from others before I start breaking my bank because I'm pretty sure that sound test and 10 minute chat with the doctor is about to result in a bill in the mail for a couple hundred.

Any recommendations for next course of actions?

 

Welcome, cpxazn! I wish you were introduced under better circumstances. Really sorry to hear that you've been dealing with this to some extent since elementary school, but the fact you're still soldiering on regardless is impressive to say the least.

From the looks of your post, your tinnitus can be modulated with a variety of somatic maneuvers. While it isn't out of the ordinary for some sufferers to be able to use some techniques, you seem to have quite the list going there.

When you mention that you have had an issue with an overbite, that does raise flags as it relates to TMJ disorder. Personally, I think a visit to the specialist there is a good idea, perhaps moreso than the ENT or audiologist because sometimes TMJ issues can be addressed and corrected. It sounds like you don't have insurance, and I'm really sorry to hear that, especially if you're in the United States.

I also have no idea why that "doctor" told you what you are experiencing is not tinnitus. Any phantom noise that is being perceived by you but exists with no external stimulus is called tinnitus. Even then, there are some forms of tinnitus that are caused by your body in what's known as objective tinnitus; this is still tinnitus. Incredible that you had to pay this medical "professional" any money.

I wish you the best and encourage you to keep reaching out.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I will talk to my dentist first. My dentist put on the braces, not an orthodontist. I will see if he has any clue, and if he has any good TMJ specialists that he can recommend. I do have a high deductible insurance plan, but as I have entered my early 30s, maybe it's time to upgrade that plan.