Why tinnitus starts in another ear

Does anyone have any idea what could cause tinnitus to start in the other ear after two years? I have had T in my right ear from TMJ for almost two years which has seemed to get better but now the left one has started a bit - different sounding and puzzling. Any ideas????

 

Possibly ,nerve fibers from one ear cross to the opposite side at the level of dorsal cochlear nucleus in brainstem. Continued excess tinnitus signal from one ear may excite the opposite DCN which in turn is connected to opposite ear and may carry this signal to that ear.However no one knows what happens.

 

@Chicken,

My T fluctuates. It's always strong in my right ear and it's a tad lower and different in my left, it's not the same as you cause it was obviously silent in your one ear for a long time, I'm just saying it's not that unusual to experience that the T can travel in position and strenght.

I also wanted to ask you how you know that your T is caused by TMJ ? Is there any sure diagnostic tool to identify that? I'm confused cause every medical person I speak with about diagnostics say its' impossible to really identify T causes unless you have a story to tell about sudden acoustic trauma.

 

Per,

Back in 2011 I had really bad jaw popping when I ate or brushed my teeth and my jaw would deviate to the right for me to pop it open. This was ongoing for about six month. In October, I had two root canals on the left side of my mouth and my mouth was open for two hours while I was clenching down on a contraption on my side to keep my mouth open. A week later I was bending down and scrubbing my driveway really hard and that night I woke up with T in my right ear. I went to several doctors, had hearing tests, MRI's of the head, neck and jaw and a CT-SCan for the temporal lobe. My jaw MRI showed severe tightness on my right side and moderate tightness on my left side. I went to a neuromuscular dentist, who was fantastic. Customized an oral orthotic to relax the jaw muscles and realign my jaw. The T has changed but it's still there and now this issue with the left side. The jaw is so much better, but I believe the T has stemmed from TMJ and nerves going down my neck and face. Still trying to figure out about the left ear

 

@Chicken,

You obviously had an extensive assessment to exclude other causes, I didn't even know such thing as a neuromuscular dentist existed. I realise I have a long way to go before I can really conclude and/or exclude possible causes myself. Seems to me that your prognoses should be rather good? I hope you manage to find out about the left ear, but if it's only been going on for a short while it may very well return to the state you are used to.

 

This happened to me. 2.5 years ago I began getting intermittent tinnitus in the left ear only. 6 months later the right ear started (much quieter, kind of echoy, and constant rather than intermittent). It almost feels like it's resonating sympathetically with the left.

 

This happened to me. The right ear rang/beeped for 2.5 weeks, then faded to nothing and the left one started ringing. Now sometimes they both ring but the left one is a bit louder. Sometimes the ringing shuts off and my brain starts buzzing at a high frequency like an electronic device. This is the latest "noise" I'm trying to get used to.

 

I had tinnitus mostly in my right ear, the side my jaw muscles hurt more on. I always had a low one in the left, but maybe more noticeable after a few years. When my TMD / tinnitus started I would do a stretch to thrust my jaw outward. When I did that there was a restriction in the muscle on the right side I could feel, but not on the left. I thought that was telling because that is the side with the hissing.

I also had extreme history if dizziness, extreme pain in the face, numbness in face, electric shocks in ears, pain the ears, neck pain stiff neck, upper back pain around shoulder blades, temple pain, lower back and hip pain on only right side. My vision also shakes when reading things up close.

I had the pain in the shoulder blades and neck, but didn't get tinnitus until the problems spread to my head and face a few years later.

I tried multiple TMJ doctors and even ended up trying one early on who took me for over $12k. It didn't work and I stopped wearing the device at risk of what it would do. I've seen others who recommend similar treatments who say they have been doing it for decades and it works, but have no records of it working.

I went to an orofacial pain specialist and he said it was trigger points in my neck and below causing it, which is what I thought and had been trying to treat for years.

Before that I even tried treatment for chronic lyme disease because one massage therapist referred me to a doctor who used a fake test and told me I had it. I took multiple antibiotics and got some kind of burst blood vessels on the skin that don't go away. I also developed paresthesias all over that feel like cold water and burning and have them ever since. I stopped antibiotics after 6 months when I decided I gave it a try and they were crazy after learning more.

I'm trying to see trigger point people now. I saw PT's that do dry needling and it doesn't work. If the trigger point stuff works, which It hasn't when done by myself for many years, I'll tell you if you ask me.

There is a thread for TMJ, muscle problems and tinnitus here: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...etc-possible-treatment.500/page-21#post-70675

 

Could be a lot to do with the Central Auditory Cortex. The auditory nerve runs through this and has a crossroads to both ears at selected stations of this cortex. DCN, as above, is just one of them.

 

@applewine I feel for you. You've gone through many of the things I considered or have tried myself, and your negative experiences are a cautionary tale. Hope your latest efforts bear fruit.