Is this a 'So what?'

My tinnitus increases significantly when I am eating! I guess it's how the jaw behaves as it becomes louder/softer as I chew (sorry if Too Much Information!). Might this mean I have TMJ? Does it have any relevance for potential treatment or is it just one of those weird things that I'm noticing because I'm still at the 'hyper vigilant' stage? Any insight would be much appreciated, thx

 

I've noticed this too, but mine doesn't increase that much and usually levels off when I stop chewing. I'm pretty sure it is jaw related; at least the orthodontist told me that the jaw "hinge" (TMJ) impacts the nerves that connect to the ear canal. He wanted me to get bite splints to adjust my bite and maybe relieve the pressure on the nerves, but no guarantee it would work and would cost thousands of dollars, so I passed.

 

Me too! I take it as a normal phenomena now, just few months ago it bothered me badly. I don't know if it is TMJ, but I know it is common. Take care.

 

Thanks Deb, thanks JTP, of course I wanted someone to say 'oh if you've got that your tinnitus can be cured by changing your toothpaste' but good to know I'm not the only one

 

I'm not a doctor, that's for sure. But I think true TMJ is the malfunctioning of the joint, including the "wearing out" of the little cushion separating the jaw from the skull.
When I eat crunchy food my T goes nuts for the rest of the day.
Also I clench and grind my teeth at night. I believe many people who have T do this too.

 

Thx - has it ever been suggested to you to wear a mouth guard (or whatever they are called)? My dental hygienist said I either have in the past or still do grind my teeth as she could tell by how they had been worn down.

 

Im in the same boat. Grinding my teeth during the night, and done so for a very long time. I even wake up because of it sometimes.
Also my T goes nuts while chewing.

Are you sure your T is not related to your jaw?

 

I'm not sure Mr C - my ENT didn't suggest it as a possibility but then they don't always cover all bases do they! If it is jaw-related I don't know who I should see - dentist, physio? Or whether tinnitus is reversible sometimes in those situations?

 

I really believe that tinnitus has a cause and might very well be reversible depending what the cause is.

Do you know what triggered your T?

 

If you have bruxism you should wear a retainer to protect your teeth and more importantly, the temporomandibular joint. Bruxism may be stress related and disappear, come and go, or be constant. I got a retainer at the dentist, it's easy to do. Sometimes it takes a hmm don't know the word in english, a maxillofacial surgeon? to find out what's going on exactly.

 

No, it just appeared - very strange and no obvious reason. No sound trauma or anything like that and 'normal audiogram' but maybe there is hidden hearing loss in high frequencies.

 

Do you have it in one or both ears? And do you have any sensation of fullness in your ears?
Also can you alter the sound by moving your neck?

Im really trying to find a pattern here

 

Thanks for helping Both ears, more of a head noise really, but more so in the left ear. Yes, as I rotate my neck from side to side, the T increases as I get to full rotation on each side. Doesn't seem to change moving neck forward and back. Occasional fullness feeling in left ear; when I first got it I felt persistent fullness in both ears, but think that might have been hyper-vigilance as I was climbing the walls with anxiety and also I kept 'popping' my ears in the early days hoping that would relieve the T.

 

Thanks for your reply

Im just as curious what causes this as you probably are

I too can increase the volume of my T when moving my neck side to side, but theres no increase in volume by moving the neck back and forward.

Did you experience any moments of stressful time before the onset of T? Strain of the neck by spending too much time in a fixed position (like infront of your computer, TV, work, etc)? Or maybe clencing your teeth at night or during the day?

 

Altering the sound of the tinnitus with neck movements and the like is normal. Sensory inputs from muscles interact with auditory inputs in the brainstem. This has been an area of research and continues to be of interest to researchers.

Even people without tinnitus can experience it with certain muscle tensioning.