Had Teeth Cleaning Today... Will It Damage Hearing?

[wiggleras]

In the past I avoided ultrasonic cleaning but today I went to a new dentistry and had a teeth cleaning using ultrasonic scaler. I was told ultrasonic would be better than manual. It lasted for max. 5 mins as I could not bear it anymore...

Anyway I'm regretting it now and I'm getting a spike of the ringing sound (or at least I think I'm getting a spike. I didn't notice it right after cleaning but I'm feeling it's getting worse now). I read online that ultrasonic scaler can go up to 140 dB?? Will ultrasonic scaler damage the inner ear tissues permanently? Or am I over thinking and is the spike just temporary or my illusion? I'm freaking out now.

I do hearing test every year and most recent one was four months ago with very mild loss in 4000 range...ENT doctor said my hearing is good. But I'm using ear plugs in almost all situations and only unplug when at home. Am I getting paranoid? Any help would be appreciated!

 

[Luman]

I don't think that ultrasound, twice a year, can cause permanent damage, it would never be approved. That being said, I asked for a manual cleaning last time, just to avoid any temporary discomfort.

 

[Red]

What is ultrasound cleaning?

 

[wiggleras]

Thank you Luman. I didn't notice any changes right after the cleaning. But after coming back I've been focusing on my tinnitus (I even put on ear plugs) and I can hear the ringing louder than before. I'll make sure to never have ultrasonic cleaning in the future

 

[wiggleras]

ultrasonic... corrected

 

[Bill Bauer]

I was told ultrasonic would be better than manual.

If you were to insist on manual cleaning, they would have done it.

Will ultrasonic scaler damage the inner ear tissues permanently? Or am I over thinking and is the spike just temporary or my illusion?

If you search this site, you will see that some people here got their T as a result of ultrasonic cleaning. Others got permanent spikes as a result of it. Having said this, many here had ultrasonic cleaning and were ok.

In my opinion, it is definitely not worth the risk. There is a high chance that your spike is temporary especially since you asked them to stop after five minutes...

 

[wiggleras]

If you were to insist on manual cleaning, they would have done it.

If you search this site, you will see that some people here got their T as a result of ultrasonic cleaning. Others got permanent spikes as a result of it. Having said this, many here had ultrasonic cleaning and were ok.

In my opinion, it is definitely not worth the risk. There is a high chance that your spike is temporary especially since you asked them to stop after five minutes...

Thank you Bill Bauer! I will never try ultrasonic cleaning. You are right. It's not worth the risk. I hope it's temporary spike (or my illusion).

 

[Luman]

In the past I avoided ultrasonic cleaning but today I went to a new dentistry and had a teeth cleaning using ultrasonic scaler. I was told ultrasonic would be better than manual. It lasted for max. 5 mins as I could not bear it anymore...

Anyway I'm regretting it now and I'm getting a spike of the ringing sound (or at least I think I'm getting a spike. I didn't notice it right after cleaning but I'm feeling it's getting worse now). I read online that ultrasonic scaler can go up to 140 dB?? Will ultrasonic scaler damage the inner ear tissues permanently? Or am I over thinking and is the spike just temporary or my illusion? I'm freaking out now.

I do hearing test every year and most recent one was four months ago with very mild loss in 4000 range...ENT doctor said my hearing is good. But I'm using ear plugs in almost all situations and only unplug when at home. Am I getting paranoid? Any help would be appreciated!

I am not one of the experts on Tinnitus here, but one of our most helpful and experienced members, named @Michael Leigh, has some very informative material that you should read, and consider, regarding use and overuse of earplugs.

If I put on earplugs or earmuffs, when my T is quiet, and listen to what is in my head, it usually isn't bad at that moment, but a little while later, after removing the plugs or muffs, the T is amplified and generally worse for a while. I believe that the brain thinks that we want to hear it, so it gives us exactly what you want, or so it seems in my case. We'll never know, but it's very possible that this is what happened after your return from the dentist. Try it sometimes, when you T is low, and see if what happens to me occurs to you, as well. It's not permanent, just an annoyance, but I learned my lesson the hard way after making this mistake numerous times.

 

[wiggleras]

I am not one of the experts on Tinnitus here, but one of our most helpful and experienced members, named @Michael Leigh, has some very informative material that you should read, and consider, regarding use and overuse of earplugs.

If I put on earplugs or earmuffs, when my T is quiet, and listen to what is in my head, it usually isn't bad at that moment, but a little while later, after removing the plugs or muffs, the T is amplified and generally worse for a while. I believe that the brain thinks that we want to hear it, so it gives us exactly what you want, or so it seems in my case. We'll never know, but it's very possible that this is what happened after your return from the dentist. Try it sometimes, when you T is low, and see if what happens to me occurs to you, as well. It's not permanent, just an annoyance, but I learned my lesson the hard way after making this mistake numerous times.

Hello Luman! Thank you for sharing! This is exactly what is happening with me now. Ear plugs can make the ringing so annoying and loud. And yes the more I focus on it, the louder it will get

 

[cspc]

Your t spike is due to a temporary shift threshold in 7 KHz - 8 KHz frequency. Take a look at this study: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1600-051X.1976.tb01858.x

Rest your ears as much as possible after an ultrasonic cleaning.