Can TMJ and Noise Exposure "Work Together" to Cause Tinnitus, Hyperacusis, Face Numbness, Sore Jaw?

Hey guys,

I've had tinnitus and mild hyperacusis in my left ear since last October. It started roughly two weeks after I went to a music festival. Around a month later I saw an ENT and he put me on a Prednisone taper which didn't do much at all. I take Magnesium and NAC most days which may or may not have any effect. It's been 6 months or so since it started, and I'm doing pretty good. I'm not too sure if much has changed, my left ear still rings a lot and I'm more sensitive to sound, but I've been adjusting to it well. The sound sensitivity isn't even really that bad, just sometimes flares up when a dog barks or some other loud sudden noise. I'm still able to live my normal life, while avoiding obvious loud areas and headphones. A dental cleaning made it worse but I think I've since recovered mostly from that setback after a couple months.

Up until now I have mostly assumed that all this came from the music festival and the loud noises there. But since I've been on here a bit and seen more about TMJ I'm wondering if that could be related to my condition at all too. Two years I broke my jaw and knocked out a bunch of my teeth, it was a mess at the time but I healed relatively easily without needing surgery and it's since been a thing of the past. Since I broke my jaw, a section on the left half of my face is numb, something that had never really bothered me but now makes me think that it could be related to nerves in the ear somehow. I also occasionally have a sore jaw, but it's not frequent.

I think that my case is definitely related to the noise exposure somehow, it seems like too much of a coincidence that a week after I was at a super loud festival that I would develop this for a totally different reason. But I was wondering if for some people TMJ and noise exposure "work together" to cause these symptoms. Does anybody have similar experiences where TMJ and noise exposure may have caused your tinnitus/hyperacusis? I plan on seeing a dentist about TMJ in a few weeks but I'm just curious if anyone on here has any thoughts?

 

Although i got my permanent tinnitus right after a very loud jam session, and have had short-term tinnitus several times in my life after concerts (and never actually took that as a hint to get earplugs, smh), I also do suspect that jaw issues are also a contributing factor. I don't see any reason why there can't be more than one thing contributing to ones tinnitus, especially if there is more than one tone that they hear.

I've begun taking vitamin D supplements to see if maybe it helps (if it doesn't help my tinnitus I bet it'll at least give me more energy).

Anyway hope everything goes well in your journey.

 

I do agree with Ace. There can likely be multiple issues at play. Since you are a mild case, I would assume if you continue to avoid headphones, loud noise, etc., and use earplugs during trips to the dentist or when exposed to loud noise then I think you will get better within the next couple of years. If you don't get better after being careful, the best thing to hope for is that you don't get worse as believe me, things can get much MUCH worse.

 

Yes, it's possible. See here

 

Did you go to EDC 2021? Because I think that’s where mine started. One of the stages was playing music in a dangerous range. It literally hurt to hear. I was rushing for earplugs.

 

Dude same. I used to get ringing after jamming out in my car. I have an expensive ass audio system. And the ringing would always subside. I should have listened to my body. Weird because I’m such a health freak. I just ignored my ears.