Somatic Tinnitus Causes (TMJ, Neck, etc.): Is There a Way to Tell?

@KWC

Here is a link to a doctor someone on Facebook says is the best at TMJ issues:

https://www.tmjsurgery.com/


Ear Problems
Ear symptoms are important, but ear problems and temporomandibular joint disorders are not mutually inclusive or exclusive. Although it is not unusual for a temporomandibular joint patient to have ear pain, it still must be understood that the majority of ear pain patients do not have TMD.

At the Piper Clinic, we look for a history of chronic ear infections that are not responsive to antibiotic therapy. If antibiotics fail to remedy the ear infection, then we will consider the possibility that the temporomandibular joint may be referring pain to the ear, or, alternatively, that an inner ear effusion may be developing because of altered temporomandibular joint mechanics.

Patients with a TMD occasionally have a history of tinnitus. Tinnitus is a ringing sound that originates in the head of its owner. The exact cause for tinnitus is unknown. There are some patients who have tinnitus related to mandibular posturing, and these patients experience an increase or an elimination of symptoms with forward posturing or superior posturing of the mandibular condyle.

If your child is complaining about an earache and ringing in the ears, check with your family doctor. An earache and ringing in the ears, also known as tinnitus, are symptoms of TMD. A complete examination of the TMJs will rule out the causes of the ear problem.

 

@KWC You may have a soft cyst - a sac with bacterial fluid. It will probably resolve in a few days, but may come back again and then resolve again.

Y0u don't have wisdom teeth, so any bacterial infection that traveled from sinuses may have set into a molar or condyle or into your deep mandibular or condyle plane. Possible from use of a splint that is pressing on your gums. Still thinking that you have bacterial infection as you also have a swollen lymph near ear and now a soft cyst sac makes this even more likely. With infection, your masseter muscle may have tighten causing your mandibular condyle to move forward - an open forward bite.

For your TMJ/D - try this:
Place your index finger next to your ear lobe on your cheek. Move your finger inward about one inch on to your cheek and find a hole. Use your finger and press into the hole with medium pressure. At the same time, open mouth a small bit and hold for 5 seconds and then close mouth without teeth touching. Repeat 4 times in 20 seconds. You may also do the same on the hard surface of the masseter muscle just a fraction of a inch closer to your ear. Also do the non TMJ/D side for balance. These exercises can be done every two hours through out the day. There's videos online for TMJ/D masseter exercise.

Try sleeping on your back with head and body slightly tilted to non TMJ/D side for at least part of the night and before you get up. Gravity trauma can happen if you sleep too long on either side.

Use correct posture when walking and sitting - no forward head motion when walking or behind the computer.

You may need amoxicillin if you have infection - 250 mg 3X a day for 10 days. I still would talk to your dentist about this.

 

@just1morething thanks. I will read through it. I contacted my ENT as he does EUD balloon dilation. I have read it has to be done at hospital via outpatient.

 

@Greg Sacramento, very detailed response to my few words. Thank you as always.

I contacted my primary doctor to see if she would prescribe.

I hope you are doing as well as you can. I am thinking about not using my daytime splint and just using nighttime only now as my pain has improved. I have put off going back to TMJ doctor for now. My tinnitus is very reactive to jaw movements. My sound is a high pitch consistent fuzzy eeeee sound that does not change pitch, but does get louder, however not lower. I will try the exercises.

 

@KWC

Sorry to read you are doing bad. I was horrible yesterday and took Lyrica last night plus Zolpidem plus used my appliance and seem good today. I was to a dentist and had a tooth pulled plus getting 2 new crowns. Maybe the numbing injections are making my noise quiet?

 

@just1morething happy to hear. I hope they do work for you. I still may pursue it if could find someone to do it. I just feel so defeated. Nothing I have tried has changed the tinnitus at all. It did change a bit after wearing splints (never lower, just different type of sound) for a while and my TMJ pain has improved but nothing since.

I really do not know what even to try next.

 

@Greg Sacramento well wishes to you. I heard from my doctor. She noted if I have had the lumps for some time, they are not likely from bacterial infection. She said it is most likely benign enlarged lymph node for the one on my neck. She prescribed me Augmentin which scares me because my tinnitus started about 5 days after starting Augmentin in January but I also had the inner ear fluid back then.

Best wishes,
Ken

 

@Greg Sacramento @just1morething I hope you guys are doing ok.

My TMJ doctor agreed to do an injection into my right TMJ joint to see if it helps. The doctor said the mix would be Depo-Medrol, Lidocaine, and Sarapin. My pain is tapered but the joint feels a bit sore and swollen.

I'm just very concerned that the injection could make tinnitus worse but I guess I need to try.

 

Hi everyone.

So I joined a few weeks ago after having my wisdom teeth removed due to TMJ and my orthodontist gave me a splint. I have been using it for a few days now in addition to laser therapy sessions.

I'm trying to remain positive as this seems to be the problem that's causing my tinnitus, I've also gone to 2 different ENTs and they both told me my ears look excellent.

I've also been to the orthopedist and he checked my neck and my back and he told me everything seems fine.

Basically I don't know if I should get physical therapy since I've been told my neck and back are good but I can definitely change the pitch of my tinnitus when I turn my head to the side.

Or maybe I should just tough it out with the splint in hopes it will work.

Anyway, I hope you're all doing ok. My best wishes.

 

I hope it works! My static sound came back. I hate it.

 

I could not agree more. Meant to ask are you able to mask yours? What do you do to manage/cope?

 

I’m trying Flonase and an EarPopper. I may call TMJ doctor in Florida. Maybe TMJD affects your Eustachian tubes?

 

I think TMJD affects them. Let me know how it goes. My right ear is always crackling. Do you mask?

 

I took Lyrica 150 mg. I fell asleep and woke up to power line in my head. I used to mask some but this is just too loud. I wonder if Lidocaine was in my injections at dentist?

I just checked into Ketamine infusion. About $500.

 

@KWC

Sharing our story: My father in law went to a bunch of specialists here in Costa Rica. He was told he had tinnitus and lived with it for almost 2 years, he was not the same during that time. I worked at dental clinic and had known one of the best maxillofacial in Costa Rica. Talking to him one day, just letting him I was worry about my father in law, he asked to see him and get different xray to see his temporomandibular joints and determined they were ground down from an ortho treatment he had done years prior and from other traumas. He operated his TMJ about 7 months ago and the next day the noises he was hearing were gone, as of today he is his old self. No more ringing, sounds, nothing. I don’t know if everyone that have had this goes to check their TMJ, or if it was just his case. The reason I came into this group was to understand what he was going through and I want to give your our story. Who knows, it might help someone.

 

@just1morething no luck on TMJ shot. I have constant high pitch in right ear. I hope you are better.

 

Sorry to hear that. Maybe give it another day or 2? I’m not exactly good. I might see if I can try the balloon dilation in my left Eustachian tube. I know you have to be put under for a short time. I got the barotrauma in my left ear in 2008 because of my abnormal left Eustachian tube.

 

So like I've said before, about a month ago I got tinnitus in my left ear and apparently TMJ is the cause and it made sense to me since the left side of my jaw was giving me the most problems (headaches, vertigo, etc) but later I also got it in my right ear even though that side wasn't as bad.

Is that normal? Or should I look for another cause to my tinnitus?

Just to give some details, I haven't gone to any concerts in a long time and I haven't been exposed to any loud noises, and whenever I use headphones I only really use them at a moderate level for 3-4 hours during the night when playing PlayStation and that's why I don't think loud noise exposure was the cause of my tinnitus and I've gone to 2 different ENTs as well that have said my ears look excellent.

 

My splints helped my pain but not tinnitus as of now. There are so many causes.

Have your hearing tested.

 

@just1morething and @Greg Sacramento.

How are you doing?

 

@KWC

I have a lot of noise unfortunately. Going to see an ENT Monday about balloon dilation in left TMJ. If nothing else it will help during airplane flights. I hope he will do it. I will also probably go to Piper clinic in Florida. I put up with this crap too long. I need some answers. Sorry your noise is bad.

 

@KWC

I have seen an ENT yesterday out of town. He had an audiogram done and also looked up my TMJ MRI at CDI. So he said TMD can cause tinnitus and that was a more likely cause than my left inner ear as my audiogram was symmetrical. Now I will concentrate on my TMJ and possibly neck. I actually thought it was barotrauma-caused for years. The noise is truly maddening.

 

I hope you can get relief. My last audiogram had my left ear dip to 20 dB and my right ear (tinnitus) dipped only to 10 dB up to 8 kHz. Not sure about higher frequencies. I wish I could post better news but I continue to struggle every day as well. In addition to the ringing and TMJ I decided to come off Klonopin which is ramping up my anxiety.

How are you tackling the TMJ? I know you said you started physical therapy. I still wear my splints. The splints helped my pain but as noted they realign your jaw and then your bite is off. I guess I will keep wearing them as I understand your jaw will revert back if you stop.

 

I’m not sure. Nobody I call knows how to tackle it. I suppose the Piper TMJ clinic in Florida would be the best? You can try an EarPopper while swallowing water. That may help if it’s more of a Eustachian tube problem. It’s hard for me to pinpoint the source of the noise.



The Piper Clinic is a specialized dental and medical facility providing patients with noninvasive and surgical management solutions for temporomandibular joint disorders (or TMD).

The Piper Clinic is recognized internationally as one of the leading surgical clinics treating temporomandibular joint disorders, one of the most serious skeletal problems affecting the human body. It is estimated that one-third of the population has had some type of temporomandibular joint injury by the time they reach their early thirties; many of these injuries date back to childhood.

At the Piper Clinic we have managed all types of temporomandibular joint disorder patients, including those with headaches and facial pain, bite and profile alterations/changes, and mechanical clicking and locking of the joint.

Our patient profiles range from early onset childhood injury to lifetime adult debility. The Piper Clinic is devoted 100% to giving you answers about your problem. We explore every diagnostic option to find answers for you, and it is our goal to be the most comprehensive source for solving jaw problems.

Our services include a full scope of diagnostic tests, CT and MRI scan evaluations, bite assessments, pharmacological management, therapeutic nerve blocks, splint therapies, and surgical procedures. With a database of more than 10,000 treated patients and over 30 years of experience, you will find the expertise you need at the Piper Clinic.

Our services include a full scope of diagnostic tests, CT and MRI scan evaluations, bite assessments, pharmacological management, therapeutic nerve blocks, splint therapies, and surgical procedures. With a database of more than 10,000 treated patients and over 30 years of experience, you will find the expertise you need at the Piper Clinic.

 

I seemed to get relief for awhile yesterday but comes back when I awaken. I think it’s TMD and neck.

 

A nerve block to this area may be a good test.

 

@Greg Sacramento

Do you know know if an auriculotemporal nerve block can stop noise coming from the TMJ affecting possibly the ear canal? I have noise screaming in my left ear again. I was good part of yesterday until I fell asleep. Seems like sometimes I can get noise relief from exercising my neck although it’s inconsistent.

The auriculotemporal nerve can be blocked by injecting local anesthetic solution above the posterior portion of the zygoma, anterior to the ear and behind the superficial temporal artery. The needle (27 gauge) is inserted anterior and superior to the tragus.

 

Understanding TMJ Internal Derangements

 

@just1morething

I really don't think that an auriculotemporal nerve block will help you.

Can you tell me if your c spine has straighten and if your atlas is off center from X Ray?

Your CT may not show other problems in neck, but would with jaw.
When your tinnitus eases up at times and screams at other times, then the problem is neck.
Your C spine may be placing pressure on neck muscles most of the time causing tinnitus, but your TMJ would had been caused from your atlas placing pressure on your jaw.

Tell me if ever you hear squealing on a night here and there when moving head around a while after getting into bed?
If so, then your problem is your atlas causing pressure to occipital nerves and jaw.
You most likely had an neck injury from forward motion strain.