TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction) and Tinnitus — The Connection? Discuss!

Hopefully as your TMD gets corrected, so will your tinnitus. From what I understand, when there is a strong correlation like that, then there is a good chance for the tinnitus to go.

 

Hi,
I was just wondering does your tinnitus react to sounds? Like will some sounds spike your tinnitus? or do you get spikes at all?

 

Good luck with this. Thousands of pounds on TMJ treatments ........still bad T.
I think its all a red herring to be honest with you..and a bite plate is the start ,you will have to have your teeth realigned.
its a long.... .long road..........to maybe knowhere

 

Yes, but he sounds will create the pulsating tinnitus rather than increase my current level. So if I am on the phone with someone, sometimes when I hear their voice, my other ear will "pulsate" with what the are saying. Not sure if this makes any sense. Genrally, noises wll cover up my regular "T"...

 

That is what I am hoping too! Today isn't a bad day, so far!

 

Yeah... TMJ is hard to treat. Just like everything else I have going on heh. However, the new dentist and myself have prett much come to the conclusion that the prior dental work done to me with the crowns I had put in, is what triggered off the TMJ.

 

What kind of spasms doe you have? I seem to have some of the problems you have. Did you also have Sharp sensations in your arms and feet?

 

My Aunty has TMJ she also developed T while she had it a mouth splint and a few months later and her T was no more.

 

I just had an MRI on my TMJ and it showed that the condyle disks in the jaw have both been macerated not sure if this is related to my T but I'm going to find out ...Jaw has been sore and painful ever since my T started ....Monday I have an appointment in Boston with a Maxilliofacial surgen so he can evaluate the MRI and what my next step should be.

 

@luckyman316 is your tinnitus constant ? 24/7 ?

 

Thanks for sharing!

 

Splint cured my daughters very bad T. Took 6 months to see any improvement but after that it started to subside and finally went away .

 

This is encouraging

 

Yes it is!

 

Another encouring one! Thanks!

 

I am confused and want to get other's opinions. I have been dealing with ear pain and ear ringing for the last 8 months. The sounds I hear are forever changing. I will say to some degree...things have gotten better. I have been to all the doctors to rule out causes. To make a long story short...about 2 years ago I was told I have TMJ. I had no ear ringing at that point. 8 months ago the ringing started. My ringing is not noise induced, no hearing loss. The sounds in my head change. I just recently visited a dentist who recommended neuromuscular orthotics. Funny thing is it costs 3500!

has anyone gone this route? Has anyone seen relief? My insurance doesn't cover it...so this is a huge chunk of change. Then again, my quality of life is terribly important. Thoughts, opinions, suggestions?

 

I fell and bruised my right jaw/head badly a few months ago. The jaw more so than the head where i was unable to eat much the next several days. I ended up with tinnitus in my right ear that is constant. Flexeril gave me some minor relief of late.

I am not sure if a jaw injury could jumpstart T however the more i think about it the more probable that one of the discs or ligaments that bruised the auditory canal. I can adjust my T by various chin movements and also when i turn my head to the right.

My T is a hissing sound. I think rythmic. All my mri/mra/ct negative and hearing up to 16000 htz perfect.

I do want to leave note that my T is so called reactive and unilateral.

 

So, i'm one with TMJ symptoms as well. I've spoken to a physo and dentist which specializes in jaw problems (TMJ).

The dentist is making some sort of mouth guard, but i don't know the correct word because im Danish.

What is the difference between a:

Mouth guard
Mouth splint
neuromuscular orthotics

I believe the dentist i spoke with is making 'Neuromuscular orthotics', but not sure.

My symptoms is:

Clicking popping in the ears/jaw when i open my mouth, swallow or sometimes chews.
Sore in the TMJ's
Ear pain (not much tho, comes and goes)
Fullness in the ears
Some neck pain/stiffness (comes and goes)
...And tinnitus

 

A mouth guard is usually to prevent grinding the teeth while sleeping. A splint fits into your mouth in such a way that it gradually changes the position of your joints, you have to have it adjusted every so often, it's sort of the same principle as braces slowly moving teeth. I don't know what neuromuscular orthotics is. You need to see a maxilliofacial surgeon not just a regular dentist.

 

In your opinion, Christian, what are the chances that your tinnitus is due to some sort of TMJ abnormality?

stephen nagler

 

Oh so it is a splint the dentist i talked to makes. This dentist is specialized in tmj. I dont know what a maxilliofacial dentist is.

 

Well in the US that would be the dentist who specializes in things like TMJD or any kind of reconstructive surgery like if you had been injured in the face. He/she isn't a dentist who offers teeth cleaning and cavity filling.

 

I think its either that or ETD.

My guess would mainly be TMJ, also because X-rays showed misalignment in my jaw.

I also tried attaching heat to my right side and the clicks and popping softened up a bit

 

i have been told i have tmj, which my jaw crunched for a long time and i had a nite guard made but when i got tinnitus my jaw got worse as far as crunching and stiffness, tmj neuromuscular dentist is 3100! hate to pay this much to have nothing happen, but a chance we must take...... mine started with neck pain then ringing in ears........so im just not sure....

 

Thanks for your responses, @Christian_B and @jeannie.

Here's how I see it ...

TMJ is a joint, not a condition. Everybody has two TMJs. And every time we open our mouths for any reason at all - even just a little bit - our TMJs are at work. Literally thousands of times a day - every day of every week of every month of every year of every decade of our lives. The result? Over time, just like our knees and our hips, we can develop discomfort and/or clicking in our TMJs. It's quite a common occurrence, actually.

So just because a person who happens to have discomfort and/or clicking in one or both TMJs happens also to have tinnitus, I have a very difficult time necessarily ascribing the tinnitus to a TMJ abnormality without some sort of other compelling evidence.

Just something to think about.

Dr. Stephen Nagler

 

Is sore tmj's and misalignment not a evidence of some issues? All my symptoms started at almost same time.

 

My tinnitus started after I developed knee pain. I was running marathons at the time (many many pounds ago), and I had some serious knee issues. But I certainly didn't think the two were related.

smn

 

I understand your point that because i developed what looks like some TMD, i doesn't mean it's connected to my T.

But i would say it is anyways, for a long time i slept with my headset on watching movies and stuff before i fell asleep (as weird as it sounds) which i think could be the cause to kick-start my TMD. I often after that period woke up with sore chins/TMJ and someday i woke at night with tinnitus. Another reason im "sure" it's some TMJD, is the X-rays showing my jaw and 2 seconds googling the word "TMJ and Tinnitus" shows a lot of those symptoms i got, so i don't see why i would NOT think it's related to that.

And the TMJ is so close to the ears.

Another thing, im not doctor as you, but i highly doubt you can develop tinnitus because of a knee issue.

 

Right.

And just because you get a bunch of hits when you Google "TMJ and Tinnitus" that does not necessarily mean your tinnitus has anything whatsoever to do with your TMJ.

So if the probability that my tinnitus was caused by my knee joint is 0%, my thinking is that the probability that your tinnitus is caused by your TMJ might be on the order of 1%. Google or no Google.

Dr. Stephen Nagler