Stress, Tension, Dental Work and Tinnitus?

Hello there,

I made a thread some weeks ago regarding a spike that happened one night in january. I've had T for 10 years and this is the first time I've ever experienced this kind of spike. My T is caused by a broken ear drum.

Back in January I had a rough time. First I had a cold, then 3 weeks later I got a pretty bad flu that lasted for 14 days. I suspected the illness to be the cause of the spike and while it certainly did make it all feel a lot worse, i'm in getting more and more confused about the reason for the spike, and this confusion is mainly because of this:

In january I also got dental work. I'm in the process of getting dental implants, and have had several dental imprint done to be able to make the crowns for the implants. In fact, that night when I got the spike, I had been to the dentist to get my number two imprint. I remember being very anxious and tensed while getting the imprint. When I left the dentist and drove in my car to pick up my girlfriend I noticed that suddenly my T appeared to be more loud than usual. I went on with my day and then at night i couldn't fall asleep. The T sounded different. The two T tones which have followed me for years seemed elevated and more high pitched.

This was the on-set of my spike.

From this day on, the tension began. I begin to clench my jaw. Probably because of the louder T. I started to get very sore in my jaw, my ear and had headaches. Around two weeks later I had to go the dentist again and have my new crowns attached. Again I had to open my mouth wide.

The tension gets worse. I get extremely sore and everything starts to click, pop and crunch. The T is very annoying and sometimes moves from left to right and sometimes new sounds appear and disappear. I also get louder T sometimes when I do sudden movements. It also seems to be more sensitive to movements in the jaw and neck. I decide to take 2 weeks with only fluid diet to relieve the tension. The jaw joint starts to click everytime I chew or swallow. While it does seem to relieve somewhat with the fluid diet, the clicking is now quite persistent throughout the day.

Fast forward to today:

I can now open and close my mouth again, and I can chew, but very carefully. However, the clicking is very persistent, and I can feel it cracking in my ear canal. Both via sound but also with putting my finger inside the ear, where I can hear and feel the clicking happening inside that joint.

So, somehow it seems that this could also be the reason for the spike.

1. Could this have started when doing the initial imprint at the dentist?
2. Could the imprint and later on the tension have made my T worse?
3. It sounds like TMJ, and I am seeing my dentist next week. But since I don't normally have TMJ issues, I suspect that this arose by stress from being at the dentist and the following more stress and clenching, thereby creating some TMJ-like symptoms.
4. How long does a stress induced TMJ last?
5. I've read that jaw joint plays an important role in T. Can someone explain why and how this happens?

Side note: ENT has cleared my hearing. It is normal.

 

Mine started last summer about an hour after a dental filling. I have never had T before. I was pretty tense before and during the routine procedure. The procedure lasted just under an hour and my jaw was pretty tired. The drill was also very noisey - about 90-100 db I reckon. My T has still not gone....
Going to try and find a Cranial Sacral Therapist to release some head neck and jaw tension as I thinks its roots lie there...not acoustic or psych trauma. Just a filling !!
I hope you find some peace @bellafjelle !

 

Having major dental treatment can cause problems and spikes having your mouth open wide for so long and the pressure applied to your jaw having treatment.
Your bite might change and jaw and implants need time to settle in and a soft diet will help.
Mouth physio after and if still have a clicking or cracking jaw then your dentist or Maxillofacial specialist can advise what can be done to help.

I have always had a jaw problem and wore a mouth guard through most of my teenage years day and night....
I was down for jaw surgery but since having top dentures in it has helped my bite and jaw problem...lots of love glynis

 

Thanks to the both of you.

I was never aware of the fact that dental work could affect our T...

This is something that has made me wonder if I should go on with the last 2 implants. Big decision for me now.