Did My Tinnitus Come from Outer Ear Infection, Impacted Wisdom Tooth, or Something Else?

It's been almost 4 weeks since my tinnitus started and a lot has happened which has left me confused as to what is going on. I was hoping to clear up some confusion with the help of this thread. My tinnitus started one night in my right ear with pressure, warmth, and then ringing. I went to see a doctor the next day and he says no wax or infection, I should wait it out for 2 weeks meanwhile he refers me to an ENT 4 months away. The pressure and warmth go away and the ringing dies down by night that same day. It comes back blaring in both ears the next day and stays like that for a few days. Over the 4 weeks it has generally gotten better to the point where it is absent in the morning for an hour or so and is only in 1 ear at a time. There's also the occasional very short-lived sharp pain and tingling/ticklish sensation.

The confusing part comes when a few days ago I had an audiologist do a hearing test and look into my ear. She found no problems in my ears or hearing. The next day I got to another doctor and he says I have fluid in my middle ear and that I have a minor infection in both ears. I go to another doctor same day after him and he says I don't have even a speck of an infection. I go to a third doctor the same day and he says I have an infection in only my left ear since the ear canal is a bit red. Both doctors prescribed me Locacorten Vioform eardrops which on the internet it says they are for outer ear infection.

I would also like to note that I have an impacted wisdom tooth on the lower right side for almost 2 years which wasn't causing me any issue at all. Just yesterday I noticed some slight pain in my bottom teeth.

My questions are basically:

1.) What is up with the discrepancies between these doctors?

2.) Is it likely the tinnitus came from the outer ear infection even though it started about 3 weeks before the infection was found or is it more likely to be from the impacted wisdom tooth?

3.) Why am I being prescribed ear drops for an outer ear infection instead of antibiotics if I have a middle ear infection?

4.) How long does it take to see improvement with tinnitus once the infection is treated?

 

Hi, @Jaskaran
I'm so sorry you're getting different answers from different doctors. Most of us here have had that experience.
Nobody really knows what causes tinnitus for sure and most docs don't know very much about it.
I can't answer your question about the drops, but I think health care may be dominated by "cookie-cutter" solutions these days. As a result, many of us find our way here.
There are also different types of tinnitus.

There's even a sub-group of us here whose tinnitus is "somatic," meaning it's originating outside our brains, with a muscle or bone or something, and we've experienced visual symptoms along with it. ​

Hopefully someone with symptoms similar to yours will weigh in soon. It helps to know you're not alone.
Warm regards.