My Tinnitus/TMJ Story So Far

Hello, I'm Ignacio, just turned 26 yesterday, and I have been to this site a couple of times the last couple of weeks so I figured I should sign up and share my story.

First, some backstory, I've gone to the same dentist basically since I was a kid, and the last time I saw him was about 2 years ago and told him I felt clicking and popping mostly in the left side of my jaw, he did some weird exercises on my jaw to "put it in its place" or something like that and he told me to use a night guard but it was this hard one for both the upper and lower teeth, so I used that for a while and I eventually stopped using it, the clicking was still there but it never really caused pain so I ignored it...

So, about 2-3 months ago, I started getting bad headaches and vertigo every day, the first doctor told me my ears were a little irritated, so he gave me some pills and sent me on our way, a few days passed and I wasn't feeling any better.

The second doctor told me I had something called Benign Positional Vertigo (I think) and he gave me some exercises to perform and some pills for the headaches, so a few weeks passed and the headaches came and went and the vertigo was just an issue when I lay in bed or sit up too fast and I thought "it will pass"

But then... I wake up in the middle of the night with a ringing in my left ear and thought it would go away but it never did...
Cut to me going to an ENT, he checks my ears and tells me they look excellent, and then he presses on both sides of my jaw tells me to open wide and not only did it hurt but it triggered vertigo when I did that, and sure enough he told me I had TMJ disorder, he gave me a tablet called Qual and then told me to go to an orthodontist.

So, I go and the first thing he tells me is that my teeth are VERY worn out from clenching at night (bruxism) and he said they are worst than a 60-year-old patient he saw, and that was the extent of my first visit, in my second visit, he was there with the maxillofacial surgeon and he checked my jaw very carefully and sure enough he told me it was TMJ disorder (oh I sure clarify I also got some x-rays done) and they both checked the x-rays and they showed me the left side of my jaw was hitting the roof of the joint and that was the cause of all my problems.

Finally, the maxillofacial suggests that first we get rid of my wisdom teeth to fix my malocclusion, and then I would get treatment from my orthodontist (I assume a splint) to fix my jaw.

So here I am, 5 days after my wisdom teeth extraction just waiting to go back and hear what's next...

So my tinnitus, it's usually manageable during the day, I'd say it's about a 4-5, I can drown it out with just regular noise from the outside and just having my TV on, but man during the night it SUCKS to go to sleep, some nights are better than others, also at first it was just the left ear but now I can hear a lower pitch in the right (is it weird that it goes away when I put my finger in my right ear and slightly shake it? Should I not do that?) and sometimes I just hear it like it's coming from inside my head.

I'm not trying to be negative, I'm hoping for the best in the long run, just the days waiting to go back to the orthodontist feel like an eternity, at least the headaches are like 90% gone and I can deal with vertigo and I hope whatever comes next will at the very least diminish this or maybe even eradicate it.

So yeah, that's me.

 

Thank you so much for sharing!!

I’m starting to think maybe my tinnitus is caused by a TMJ issue. I only have it in the left ear, and the left side of my jaw pops when I open it wide. However, I don’t have any pain in my jaw. I do occasionally have wicked bad headaches though!

 

Yeah you should see a dentist / orthodontist and they will take x-rays and get you a splint to move your jaw or help you with clinching you're teeth... I still have tinnitus, but before my splint I had 5 different sounds in my head, now only 1 or 2 sounds.

 

Also before I forget, my TMJ specialist (has written books) told me when I yawn to keep my hand under my jaw. You still yawn but there is no cracking and the scar tissue will heal.

 

I thought my tinnitus could have been TMJ, I have ringing in my left ear and my jaw has been sore at the same time, was sent by an ENT specialist for CT scan and also to see a specialist - he said that he didn't think that my tinnitus was related to my jaw soreness.

 

Hello. What kind of splint did you get?

 

It's like a hard splint. I wear it at night and a few hours during the day.

 

I got one but first night I woke up at 2:30 am with tinnitus screaming, so I was afraid to use it again. Next week I go to a TMJ specialist to see if he recommends a different one.

 

I'm probably getting a new splint in 6 months or so. The splint I have now is 4 years old... Before the splint I had about 4 different tinnitus sounds 24/7/365, and 4 months into the splint (4 years ago) I have 1-2 sounds and about 12 days a month of tinnitus that isn't annoying.

 

I have bilateral tinnitus. Really high pitched that they think is related to TMJ and probably a little bit of allergies for good measure.

It’s been coming and going for over a year now. I had several months last year that I didn’t hear it at all. Then it came back. I have periods where it’s so low I’ll go for weeks and not notice it and then I’ll have a spike that will last three or four weeks. I would get it in both ears but it was primarily the right ear that was worse. But now I’m noticing that the left ear is worsening as well. Mine is fluctuating and it can get bad as the day goes on but especially bad at night. It’s usually not too bad in the morning, but.I wake up in the middle of the night, and my ears are screaming. Which really makes me think that it’s the likely the clenching that I’m doing. I noticed the same thing happens when I take a nap. I wake up from a nap and my ears will be screaming. And then after a little while they calm down.

I have tremendous facial pain, headaches, my jaws hurt right at the hinges. Tremendous muscular tension in the face and under the eyes. And I get terrible pain and pressure in my left ear that my ENT is convinced he’s referred pain from my jaws. I mean it’s all interconnected. I can hear my high pitch tinnitus get worse when I bend over and lean my head forward or sometimes when I chew. If I move my jaw a certain way or tilt my head a certain way.

I had orthodontia several years ago and didn’t have any problem with tinnitus. And my teeth weren’t that bad to begin with. But February 2020, I had a cracked tooth and needed a crown. The bilateral tinnitus started not too long after I got the crown. Maybe a month and a half. They keep trying to file it down to make my bite better but honestly, I think everything goes back to that stupid crown and it’s on the left side of my mouth. The side where I get all the pressure in my ear. Interesting that my right ear was the one that usually made more noise.

I’m also a long time clincher and grinder. When I had Invisalign you should’ve seen the condition of the aligners. I can feel tension through my jaws and my cheeks as the day goes on. Partly because I think that I tense and clench those muscles even though I’m not aware of it and not clenching my teeth during the day but I’m definitely doing something where my muscles are tense. At night I’m definitely clenching the teeth. I currently have retainers and they’re very hard. I still have some of my old Invisalign so sometimes I just wear those because they’re a little bit more flexible.

What I’ve read though is that I’m not a good candidate for a splint because a splint can undo all the orthodontia work I’ve had done. Is that true?

Right now my ENT wants me to see a cranialfacial specialist. Unfortunately the main craniofacial center near me is not taking any patients. So I continue to suffer in pain with my ears ringing.

 

Hi, just wondering if you had ever thought about Botox for your Bruxism?

I have Bruxism myself and had Botox just over 3 weeks ago and it has really helped.

Yes, I also have tinnitus from teeth clenching but hoping that will pass in time.

 

Hi @Davy, did the Botox help with your tinnitus?

 

I, too, have been told I have TMJ but I haven't been offered any treatment so far. The dentist said I should enquire about botox in my jaw as it's that bad. I now have pain, inflammation, rumbling, vibrating, etc. I hope I haven't left it too long!

 

Hi, sadly the Botox did not help with my tinnitus, but it has got me out of the habit off clenching my teeth 100%.

Definitely worth the money I paid.