Getting a Dental Crown with Severe Tinnitus and Hyperacusis

Hi all.

On New Year's eve a bit into a garlic filled stuffed olive and cracked a molar. It had a bonding there before from something similar happening so now the tooth is so badly damaged, my dentist recommended a crown rather than another repair that could be damaged again.

I have severe tinnitus and hyperacusis and many sounds spike my tinnitus. I've been reading all about what having a crown/cap is and I'm worried the grinding or squeaking work might make my condition worse.

Has anyone with severe tinnitus/hyperacusis needed this? I need to wear earplugs anyway in the dentists, as there are so many sounds that hurt me (doors slamming, ratting steel trays etc), but I'm worried about occlusion effect.

I could have a repair, but he did say I'd need a crown at some stage on that tooth and if repaired I could bite something and be back in the dentists so that is what I went with. My question is... should I do it, or cancel it and have a repair? My appointment is next Tuesday so appreciate any replies before then. P.S. I cannot wear noise cancelling headphones... even they spike my tinnitus.

Many thanks for your help/advice.

 

Talk to the dentist first. Make sure they are happy for the appointment to be a bit longer to allow for the rule:

• 5 seconds drilling
• 10 seconds off

If they can use laser drills rather than conventional drills, so much the better.

I use their noise-cancelling headphones rather than my own personal ones, as theirs don't grip quite so tightly so there is less occlusion effect. I'm curious as to why you find noise-cancelling headphones spike your tinnitus? Are you just more aware of it at the time, or does it persist afterwards? Are you listening to music at the time, or just using the noise-cancelling function with no music?

 

I used noise cancelling headphones. They are just cheap ones though. I bought them an hour before an appointment.

I honestly don't know how to advise you. One dentist told me I might need a crown but the new one I went to told me it doesn't look bad and I probably won't need one. Two different dentists, two different opinions.

I guess my advice would be to seek another opinion. It can't hurt.

Hopefully, some posters here who have received a crown will read your post and comment.

 

I would go for the crown. In case of just a repair, it may crack the root, in which case a crown is no longer possible, and implant is the only solution left. For an implant serious drilling, deeper, must be done, and I would like to see your ears then. However, I have heard that the frequencies of the noise of drilling in the bone for an implant are in the lower range, less damaging than high frequencies, in my case.

I do not know for sure if the noise of the drilling in the case of an implant is in the lower frequencies, I would like to verify this information, if somebody knows.