Tinnitus ONSET After Root Canal

Hi everyone,

In November 2018 I had a root canal. The tooth had NOT been inflamed, just needed a new filling and the nerve was too close, so went for root canal at noon.

Same evening - as sedation went off - my blood pressure went to 185 over 125 (normal is 125 over 85 for me), I felt heartbeat in my ears, uneasy, ringing in my ears... went to ER the next day, they waited the blood pressure to come down... took 1 hour, then I left. Tinnitus ringing still there.
Over time, I felt "foggy in brain", depressed, tired... and 3 tone ringing in both ears, plus slight "fullness".

Doctor (did an annual complete physical) & ENT was waste of money (advice: wait it out, drink more water etc. did not even take it remotely serious).

Went to acupuncture and after first setting, all but the ringing was gone!!! Ringing got better over time (1 to 2 tone instead of 3 tone) and acupuncture seemed to help improve it A LOT.
Further, when I massage around my ears (behind and above-ish) that can turn the noise off for a few seconds. And I feel some kind of weird sensation (like tingling) some times when I massage the area...

So, I read that the blood pressure problems after root canal can stem from epinephrine getting into nerve but that should have been just for a few hours... not 24 hours after procedure (that was when I ended up in the ER).

Basically: I am lost and want to get rid of it! Any advice appreciated

 

I am so sorry this happened to you also @Hilde. As you can see this is what happened to me in 2002.

Rest assured of a few things. With time the nerves will sort of calm down. But I had the same reaction - but a different situation because of jaw bone damage.

 

Seems like somatic tinnitus. Perhaps the surgery causes some type of swelling or something. Seeing that it goes away when you massage your ears.

 

@Starthrower
THANKS... what did you do to improve it? Do you still have the sound???

 

Hi @Hilde.

Geez this was so long ago back in 2002. I noticed your incident happened back in November 2018? So it has been about a little over 6 months for you with the tinnitus?

For me it was so awful the day after and the pain and anxiety through the roof - much like you. When I called the specialists office I remember specifically being told it was just me and I must have a low tolerance for pain.

For months it seemed all the help I looked for would take the blame the victim approach. And that made the situation so much worse.

How disturbed are you by the noise and do you still suffer anxiety and higher blood pressure?

My input here is that it seems like the nerves are healing. There are so many surrounding the ear and lower jaw.
It probably took months before things calmed a bit.

I had/have this loud screeching tone in my brain non-stop. It happened in one single day.

I did a lot of different therapies back then. Including putting all kinds of stuff into my ear like Colidal Silver(sp). Ugg...back then I would try anything.

What helped me the most was working with my general doctor. First getting on xanax to help with the anxiety combined with therapy. I finally found that hypnosis helped me the most. Therapists were nuttier than I was and only added to my fears and anxiety. I remember sitting for an hour waiting on one. She forgot my appointment.

I had to learn to fight for myself and not let anyone put me down. Not easy.

But I am here and still doing okay somehow. It is hard to relive that time.

 

Just a note: Next time you have dental work done, you can ask for a pain killer without the epinephrine. My DDS confirmed that they must keep a supply of anesthesia which does not contain adrenaline, for patients that need or prefer it.

 

@Luman
THANKS, I appreciate it!
I had another filling done with a sedative without epi in it - they treated me like a total nut job but I insisted and it worked well. Ringing did not get worse ..

 

@Starthrower
yes, same here but even the GP treated me like "it's your problem not mine". It is not even put down in my file ?!?!? And the ENT, like I said, blamed me for not drinking enough (I drink a lot, about 1 liter of water plus 2 to 3 liters of tea per day, no coffee, no soda ...), ENT did not even ask, just assumed and when I insisted, she got a bit mad at me ... was not a good event Ordered me to exercise (she could have read the questionnaire that I filled out in her office in which I mention that I exercise daily ... )
Had to smile when you wrote "Therapists were nuttier than" you I will definitely not try that approach. Like I stated, the acupuncture did miracles for me.

The anxiety went away right after the ER visit (when they explained to me what was going on and I was no longer afraid to have a heart attack ..), the high blood pressure the same, down to normal.
All is fine besides occasional "fullness" in both ears (more in right) and the ringing. With a lot of massage, I can get the ringing down to "almost not there". But sometimes it is just a lot, pulsating, annoying. I try to remember a life without that sound and think it must be great to have no constant noise.
Anyway, thanks for listening and replying!

Did you ever try acupuncture?

 

Hi @Hilde -- Could you elaborate a bit on what it did for you. I've also gotten some benefits. One was that my ears quit burning, and another one was that my Eustachian tubes seemed to work better. Have you tried or considered learning how to do self-acupuncture? I'm just starting my own education and experimentation, and wish I would have learned it years ago. Learning Gua Sha is another thing I'm delving into at this time.

 

Hello @Lane
well, before the first acupuncture session, I had three different tones (2 of them pulsating) in both ears, high pressure, some pain in ear, very foggy brain (everything around me seemed wrapped in bubble wrap), pretty depressed (likely as a result of all the issues), totally "off" brain-wise.... just feeling LOUSY.
Immediately after the fist session (when I walked out of there), my brain seemed like being cleaned with a "wind shield wiper". NO more fog (never came back!), clear, in general just felt a lot better. The 3 tones were basically down to 1 (sometimes 2), volume 10% of the volume before, pain in ears gone, pressure reduced by a lot. Can fall asleep again without "the train" racing through my ears & brain.
Usually, the first 2 to 3 days after the acupuncture were the best, then it got worse. I have once per week acupuncture (14 sessions so far). After about 9 sessions, the improvement lasts longer, but sometimes it gets worse (e.g., one week I had STRESS and that threw me back 2 weeks :-( )
The ENT performed a hearing test with (they insist: slight higher frequency hearing loss - but, honestly, when I was there the sounds in my ears were so LOUD that I doubt any hearing test made real sense ). I have (never had) the feeling that my hearing was even slightly off.

Thanks, I never had hear about Gua Sha, googled it and will definitely look into it !!

Self-acupuncture .. I had toyed with the idea ... I think, I will follow that thread ... Do you have any links for needles etc. And, how does it work out for you ??? I think that is a great approach !! (My acupuncture guy is really great, totally nice etc. but it is a lot of money )

What really helps me is massaging behind/ above my ears on my skull, I use some drops of massage oil and Peppermint oil
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B008MONOS6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1
and/ or Zheng Gu Shui
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VOVB78/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
it results in tingling, some popping and a sensation of "better"

And, yesterday I tried the HOT wash cloth for the first time, brought almost total quietness for a bit more than one hour Was ecstatic.

Would appreciate more info on self acupuncture!

All the best!