Mystery Tinnitus or TMJ? I Need Positive Stories

Hello, al!

Thank you in advance to anybody willing to read my novel and share their own experiences.

Back in July, I started noticing very faint staccato buzzing sounds in my right ear. It was very intermittent and never too loud, but definitely there. In September, I started feeling my ears plug up. Sometimes the right, sometimes the left, sometimes both. I went to the doctor, my ears were clear but she noticed I had post nasal drip and recommended I take a decongestant. It didn’t help. My ears - one or the other or both - still randomly “closed up” for no reason, with lots of pressure deep inside and into my throat.

One day I was driving to work and I had a random vertigo attack. I pulled over to the side of the road and it thankfully passed in less than a minute. I was freaked out, as you can imagine. Weirdly, my ears, on this day, were NOT bothering me. I went back to the doctor and she again checked my ears - all clear. She prescribed Flonase and Claritin and I tried it for a week, even though I had no congestion. It made me feel really “weird,” so I stopped taking it. Plus, my ears were still randomly plugging up. It felt like my eardrums were being sucked into my throat.

In early November I got a cold. The weird thing is the chronic ETD I had had since September didn’t bother me during this time. I had lots of congestion but no ear problems. One night near the end of my cold I had a dream that somebody clashed symbols (found out it’s something called Exploding Head Syndrome) next to my head. I woke up in a panic and I had screeching tinnitus in my left ear that lasted about five minutes and then it dissipated. My cold went away and my old friend ETD came back again, trading off ears. This time, I started having an unstable feeling in my left ear with fleeting tinnitus several times a day.

Around Thanksgiving, I started waking up with my jaw locked shut on the right side. The faint intermittent buzzing sound in my right ear grew more frantic and then suddenly, I had a constant high pitched electrical hum in my left ear. The ETD came back full force, too. I went to an ENT and hearing was perfect, ear drums normal, no infection, etc. He checked my jaw and said it seemed I have TMJ and that all the issues I’ve been experiencing are because of that, and recommended I see a dentist.

I went to a dentist and he found no signs of wear on my teeth, but confirmed my jaw pops, thinks I’ve been clenching my jaw, and he fitted me for a night guard. While I waited for it to be ready, I went to yet another ENT because the on and off ETD in both ears and tinnitus in my left ear was even worse. He did a very thorough exam and concurred TMJ exacerbated by stress and anxiety (I have undergone a great amount of personal stress in my life since May 2019) , and recommend physical therapy and the night guard.

I’ve only been wearing the night guard for a week, but I still have lockjaw on the right every morning and the very annoying electrical hum in my left ear, combined with very high pitch crickets and/or electrical sounds in my head The right ear intermittent buzzing is barely noticeable, but still present from time to time.

I guess I’m confused as to how it could be TMJ related if my jaw is locking up on the right but the noticeable tinnitus is in my left ear. And the ETD still comes and goes in both ears.

I feel really anxious and depressed about all of this and am hoping for some encouraging stories. I miss silence so much

 

I also suspect i have TMJ or some type of jaw related issues due to night/day clenching. There is a connection between the clenching/TMJ and tinnitus. I don't think my tinnitus is directly related to my clenching but i am fairly confident it makes it way way worse.

I have tinnitus and hyperacusis from antibiotics.

 

T is a strange beast, but it does not surprise me that having issues on one side of the jaw results in other symptoms at the other side. The jaw is clearly one "structure": if one joint is misaligned, the other will get extra pressure as well. Your case of T definitely sounds like a TMJ issue, which is a good boat to be in, since it's often treatable.

Perhaps @threefirefour could chime in and share his experiences, his case of T diminished after he got diagnosed with and cured of TMJ.

 

There are many success stories from people whose tinnitus is from TMJ. Go to the Success Stories and do a search on TMJ and you will find many references to it. Good luck. God bless.

 

Thank you all for the replies. It’s now been six weeks since the onset of tinnitus. I’ve been wearing a night guard for over a week and have not noticed any improvements. In fact, I still wake up every morning with my right jaw locked shut. It always opens after massage, but still...
does anybody know how long it takes for a night guard to start working?

Meanwhile, I still have crickets, high
squeaks in my head and an audible, somewhat high electrical hum in my left ear, tightness in my throat and fluctuating ETD in both ears. Im still confused as to how right side lock jaw can cause left side tinnitus? I also can’t modulate the sounds by moving my jaw. It’s pretty constant. :/

Anyway, I go back to the ENT for a follow up this Friday and will see dentist in a couple of weeks. Who knows if this tinnitus is even due to my jaw. It’s weird that it all seemed to come on at once, so I hope it’s something treatable. This is quite the beast.

Thank you again.

 

My tinnitus is very similar. For me, I believe my TMJD causes inflammation and ETD symptoms, which causes my tinnitus. Like you, ENT’s say my ears are fine, but it doesn’t feel like it at all.

I believe ultrasound therapy can help with a locked jaw? I did steroid injections into my jaw joint, and that helped.

 

Hi!

Do you believe your tinnitus is related to TMJD? How long have you had it, and do you think once your TMJD is addressed it can positively impact your tinnitus?

I am going to look into ultrasound therapy. I have an appt to see a dentist who specializes in TMJ in a couple of weeks to find out about options.

Thank you!

 

Yes, it started after I had a surgery where I was intubated. Both discs were displaced during the surgery, and the tinnitus started shortly after.

I have had it since October of 2018. I have tried pretty much everything, but I can't get my bottom jaw to unlock and move to the right. So I am still at a standstill, unfortunately. But, I do believe for other people, treating the TMJD can help the tinnitus.

Definitely do physical therapy for it if you can. It didn't fix my tinnitus but relieved some of my jaw pain.

 

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I'm sorry you are still suffering, and hope for a better outcome for you.

 

Sounds like what I’m dealing with. I catch myself clenching my jaw at night. My dentist said I grind my teeth. I’m going to make an appt to see a specialist. I have a night guard and just started using it. My T is low and goes away. I don’t think it’s my ears although my ENT said I do have ETD.

 

Update: I was referred to a a TMJ and sleep disorder specialist. A two-hour appointment with tons of tests confirmed I have a TMJD, with deterioration in both joints and slipped discs. As I suspected, the night guard I just paid for is useless, as it is designed only to protect my teeth from potential wear. I have to wear a special orthotic device that will help realign my jaw. It is very expensive and not covered by insurance - $4,000! Hopefully, it will begin to ease my symptoms soon after wearing. I pick it up in a month. I’m going into debt for this - I pray it works!

Oh, and to rule out any brain issues, I’m scheduled for an MRI.

Fingers crossed on all fronts!

 

Good luck! TMJ can definitely cause ETD. I have it in both ears on and off. The joints are connected to nerves that connect to the ears

 

Take a very good care of your ears while in the MRI machine as that's too loud. Ear plugs + the muffs they give you and choose a less noisier device.

 

Any updates?

 

Huh, I actually see some of myself in this story, in terms of tones/noises and ETD symptoms.

It really sucks having all of this when regular, non-urgent healthcare has come to a stop.

 

Did the orthotic work for you?