Affirming That One's Tinnitus Is Due to TMJ?

How / what should I check for to affirm that my case is, indeed, the cause of TMJ? Due to OCD, I have a hard time accepting something for its merits without the concept being bashed into my head.

 

I think my T is from TMJ. After taking the right meds, it's almost gone! Although I believe it's also from allergies too (imflammation causes my T) Since being on maintence with my shots and taking the muscle relaxants, the T is almost non existent and I no longer have congestion.

 

I replied back to another thread of yours. Does your T increase when opening your mouth? Does the T increase or get a sudden louder ringing when eating?

 

Congrats! What did your t sound like?

 

@mrdude1234 Usually a light hiss or crickets! If I'm stuffy, it comes back worse because my ears are all stuffed up... Allergies are the worst when you have TMJ because you have inflammation on both ends! It took a long time, like a year, to be where I am now! Maybe it was just time that helped me heal too?!

@Uri38 No, the T didn't get louder when I ate persay only when I'm open my mouth super big it would! It still deviates to the right but the clicking has subsided for the most part.

 

@Kara77 - Thanks for the info. It would be interesting to share symptoms of your TMJ issue and tinnitus. When I started with tinnitus about 3 months ago, there were a few symptoms that came relatively close to each other (less than 1 week), tight neck, opening the jaw was a clicking sound on the left especially when eating, and looking in the mirror I noticed my jaw closed unevenly, and then tinnitus. If I open my mouth I can hear tone change, especially when the T is louder. I've been wearing the the mouth splint the dentist made for 2 weeks now, and the clicking has also come down, the T quieted down for 1 week and then it came up a little, not sure but I had the splint adjusted 1 week ago. How long have you worn your splint and have you noticed a T improvement?

 

Actually my jaw doctor said not to wear the splint anymore bc I don't have a structural issue is fixed and it would do more harm than good (just the muscle relaxers when I need to). I actually lost a half inch because my neck started to move forward (I think when one thing is out of place, the whole body started to take effect) I no longer clench and with help from an upper cervical chiro, my neck is straight again and no longer have head aches!

I just have to manage the non clenching and my jaw doesn't seem to click anymore after two years!! I really think my wisdom teeth removal was the catalyst for the TMJ induced tinnitus. When I first heard the ringing, I had severe facial pressure and dizziness. And then my back and neck started to hurt. In my 24 years of living, I've never experienced these symptoms until then. I figured it was inflammation related when I took prednisone and my issues cleared up almost instantly!

@Uri38

 

Tinnitus is almost always due to hearing damage. If there are no visible signs of structural issues on your TMJ and you don't experience another other symptoms other than tinnitus, then it is likely not the culprit.

 

@Nucleo
What if tinnitus started at or around same time of neck issues, should pain, 1 side of the jaw clicking? Hearing test is normal?

 

I didnt have the facial pain but had the neck pain and upper back shoulder pain.

 

Then you need to see if there is something wrong with the TMJ (Panoramic X-ray, MRI). If there isn't, then it is unlikely TMJ treatments will reverse the tinnitus.

 

@Nucleo
Thanks. I had one done, x-ray panoramic and x ray of tmj and dentist said they were not in alugnment but I was not popping out of the socket. No mri of the tmj joint.

 

@Kara77
Was your tinnitus like hiss sound? Did you have dull ear aches or sudden bad itches? Also how long after you wore the splint did you notice a difference? Thanks

 

Yes it's a slight hiss sound and it took several months with the splint to teach my jaw to relax... Some days it's barely detectable.. It's uusally the days when I don't have the facial pressure and congestion! When it was onset, it was horrible! I don't experience dull aches or itches. I just have/had facial pain, ear congestion, sore neck and misaligned jaw.

 

@Kara77

Thank you for responding. When I tap my back molars my hissing sound increases or when I open my jaw (it doesn't have to be very wide open either). Did you experience such symptoms?

 

Ik have the his sound also. It sounds likes ssssssssssssssssssssss. When i open mine mouth wide open the sound
decreases also it does when i replace my jaw to left or right. Somethimes my ear itches. Feel pressure on my ears. My jaw feels stiff time to time. My neck hurts en somethimes i feel the pressuren in front of my head.

So I think its TMJ. I dit have a xray of my mouth but it seems ok but when the specialist felt inside my mouth he said my jaw musscles are very tight.

In the morning after waking up the sound goes way up. Bus as the day goes by the sound goes down again and i have days that i can only hear it in silent but then its also very silent. But i have also days when the sound comes above everything and then it sounds more like a high beeb and crickets.

 

@Uri38 Oh definitely, when I open my mouth wide it gets very loud!! Right now, it's super slight only in my right ear. I have to be in a silent room to hear the hiss. It's gone down so much in the past several months and my congestion is less!!! I went to the upper cervical chiro (she puts my neck back in place and the noise always goes down!)

@sandra72 Crazy how the sound can go up and down like that! At least I am getting way more better days than bad. My jaw muscles were tight as well. When I become super congested the noise always goes up, but then it drains again, then the noise dies down. It's like a cycle... lol!

 

@sandra72

Sandra I seem to have some of the same symptoms. I'm on my second week with the splint. My sound is more like sssssssss for most days it mostly low, sometimes I get this really bad itch in my ear like behind my ear drum, and it can happen on either side, although happens more on my right. My dentist said my muscles are tight and sometimes I do feel them tight. Sometimes I wake up with stiff neck even when sleeping correctly. When I open my mouth in a silent room, i can hear the sound increase it I open large enough it increases way more. Moving my neck up and down especially when moving back it increases. Did you have or still have shoulder or neck pain? Mild pain behind the eye?

@Kara77

Does your dentist put you on a TENS machine? If so did you notice a difference?

 

@Uri38 nope, they never even mentioned it!

 

@Kara77 ok.my tmj is not much of a problem as a misaligned jaw and tight muscles caused by wrong bite, i had a very high crown, whether this is truly the cause of my tinnitus remains to be seen, but I think the doc and dentist are correct there are too many symptoms that happened about the same time as the jaw clicking, tinnitus, neck tightness/pain, etc, which the doc said are classic tmj symptoms. Is your tinnitus sound more like sasssssss sound?

 

It's just a light hiss... I have to plug my ears to hear it! When my nose drains (I know gross) it's gone!! In the beginning tho, it was loud and slowly it's just started disappearing as my jaw aligned and the inflammation died down! I don't think there's a test to see if it's TMJ, only if the therapy works for you then you will know of course. Did your dentist suggest steroids to see if it helps? Usually a small course can help the jaw inflammation! And then you start therapy.

 

my right jaw crunched for years and then neck pain after a cosmetic procedure and then the tinnitus and jaw gets stiff sometimes now , neck is always stiff, achy, sometimes cant even turn head and neck gets sore and very tender. went to nm dentist and fitted me with a 24/7 splint, did the k7 and tensing and still had stiff neck and jaw still crunched after 3 months, so I took splint out for a week and same symptoms. went to a nucca and same symptoms. went to a chiro who said my c2 and especially c2 was out and only went to him 2 x and same symptoms...im only wearing my splint at night when I sleep, I know I should wear it more, but im lost on what to do now. all doctors say different things.

 

The reason most doctors say different things is that they are applying the principles that they learned throughout medical school, principles that have generally stood the test of time. Basically, when a person has a symptom, the doctor tries to figure out what caused the symptom. Once that is done, the doctor takes steps to fix or treat the cause. And the symptom then resolves.

The problem with tinnitus is that you often cannot figure out what caused it. And even if you can figure out what caused it, you often cannot fix or treat the cause. And even if you can fix or treat the cause, the tinnitus often remains.

As I see it, that is why doctors say different things - it's out of pure frustration. Because by its nature tinnitus violates the principles that have served those same doctors so well in treating their other patients. And by and large when that happens, they really do not know what to do. Most doctors are very uncomfortable thinking outside the box.

 

very true Dr. Nagler... but I have had chiros, say im out of alignment and adjust me then my neck and tinnitus gets worse. ive had my reg. gp. tell me tmj is not related to my neck issues nor my jaw crunching, its arthritis and everyone has it. my mri didn't show any sublaxtion(sp???) ) but nucca and AO and chiropractor took special xrays and said c1 c2 were out, so adjusted them ,had to have a bone scan due to a hemangioma .it showed pretty much ddd in upper and lower cervical.. is c5 upper cervical? cuz I know I got it there, yet my neck feels like it gets stuck sometimes until a loud pop and its ok.. I feel like im making things worse by getting splint and adjustments when im just desperate and trying to get better.all my symptoms are the same still even after thousands of dollars for splint, going to chiros. I still have the neck issues, jaw crunching And stiffness and tinnitus,and ear pain.

 

So if you can try to separate those elements out for just a minute - the neck issues, the jaw crunching, the stiffness, the tinnitus, and the ear pain - and pretend that one has nothing to do with the other, which one of the five bothers you most?

 

tinnitus is the worst followed by neck

 

OK. Your tinnitus bothers you most out of the five. Got it.

And when all is said and done, the thing that bothers you most about your tinnitus is that for whatever reason it makes you feel bad, right? I mean, regardless of how loud or pitchy it might be, if your tinnitus didn't in some form or fashion make you feel bad ... then you'd still have tinnitus, but your tinnitus wouldn't be a problem. Is that correct?

 

yes correct... but can c 1 c2 misalignement cause tinnitus because I had neck issues right before the tinnitus . and my jaw problems got worse after neck and tinnitus, it seems like its all related in some way..

 

It seems to me that you are still focusing on what might be causing your tinnitus. And I don't blame you in the least. Trying to identify and address what is causing your tinnitus is absolutely the logical thing to do.

But at some point in time, if trying to identify and effectively address what is causing your tinnitus really isn't getting you anywhere, then perhaps you should consider another strategy. Or not. This is totally your call.

I do not wish to take @I Hate T's TMJ thread too far off topic. So I'll back off at this point and simply offer my sincere wishes for silent days ahead for all.

 

I still have pain in my shouders and neck. Almost every day. Yes also a mild pain behind my eyes and i often have the feeling if there is a band tightly around my head. Pressure in front of my head.