Possible Link Between Root Canal Treatment and Onset of Tinnitus?

[Tasbloke]

Gidday guys,

I hope I'm in the right place, apologies if not.

I'll try to keep this brief. I've had tinnitus for about two months now. It's a low, infrequent hum in my head, along with a more constant higher-pitched chiming in my right ear that fades every three days, giving me a day of near silence on the fourth day before resuming.

I've seen audiologists who said the tinnitus is likely temporary, as there's no significant hearing loss aside from mild loss beyond 8000 Hz. They also noted eardrum immobility in my right ear with some fluid behind the eardrum. A CT scan came back clear. My doctor said the same.

One thing I'm considering is a root canal treatment I had four days before the tinnitus began. It was the second of four appointments and involved removing the last couple of roots and placing antiseptic in the site before resealing it. The third appointment next week is for the permanent filler to be placed.

Given the timing, I plan to ask my dentist about a possible infection link (though I've had no pain or inflammation, and the affected ear is on the opposite side), inflammation (possible, but I would have thought it would have settled by now), or nerve damage.

I just wanted to see what you think, and if there's anything else I should be asking. Of course, I understand that definitive answers are impossible, I'm just trying to narrow down possible causes.

 

[Vincent R]

Dentist drilling seems like a possible cause. I doubt your dentist will be able to provide meaningful answers, as they usually don't have knowledge about tinnitus.

You need to protect your hearing to make sure your symptoms don't get worse. There is already some damage, and you don't want it to increase.

 

[Tasbloke]

Cheers, yeah, that makes a lot of sense. I'll wear foam earplugs and ask the dentist to keep the drilling time as short as possible. Thankfully, I think (and hope) the bulk of the drilling was done during the first two appointments.

I know dentists aren't tinnitus experts, but I'm hoping mine can shed some light on whether there might be a lingering infection from the earlier appointments, which could also be a contributing factor.

I'm also hoping that the absence of any other symptoms from the tooth itself—such as pain, sensitivity, reaction to heat or cold, numbness, or swelling—is a good sign that nerve damage from drilling isn't the issue. Still, I can't rule out other possible contributing factors to the tinnitus, including infection.