Broken Wisdom Tooth — Could My Tinnitus Be Caused by Inflammation from the Tooth?

[Deniseh]

Hi,

Just a thought...

I have a broken wisdom tooth on the same side as my tinnitus ear and it's always very sensitive. I also had an abscess in it although that was last year (not been to the dentist but please don't shoot me).

Now I was told by ENT consultant that they think my tinnitus is caused by acid reflux (I also have popping Eustachian tubes) and B12/folic acid deficiency.

But could my tinnitus be caused by inflammation originating from this tooth?


Any reply would be great.

 

[George Ablett]

Yeah I'm pretty sure that could be the case. My tinnitus and ear popping started the exact same day my bottom right wisdom tooth (impacted) broke through the skin (there was blood everywhere) - and guess what, it's the right ear that rings and pops. Now my orthodontist is adamant that your wisdom teeth and ears aren't related but just have a look on the internet for other cases and you will see this is absolutely not true. It's not that common though.

My dentist however believes from the CT scan that my upper right wisdom tooth (impacted), which hasn't erupted, is abnormally big and overlapping with my sinus passages from what he can interpret on the 2D image.

Anyway, I'm trying a night guard now to see if it is a simple case of TMJ but I feel I am right and they'll have to come out.

Hope this helps. Message me if you want to talk further!

 

[Deniseh]

@George Ablett

Thankyou for the reply

Did your dentist tell you that you had TMJ, the reason I ask is because I grind and clench my teeth all the time and this is why my tooth broke.and I've given my tongue some nasty bites during sleep when I catch it

Definitely going to see the dentist to get checked out worth a try xx

Best of luck to you as well xx

 

[George Ablett]

Ah right. My orthodontist said this yes, but I'm not so sure it's a usual case of TMJ as I do not get any pain in my jaw, only ear ringing and popping. Plus if you google TMJ and wisdom teeth it says "retaining wisdom teeth is one common cause of TMJ disorder" so I believe I'm in this category but I don't know for certain yet.

One other thing to mention, a year ago I spoke to this girl from Poland whose blog I found online regarding her ear problem and she had all the same symptoms as me. I suggested the wisdom tooth possibility so she updated her blog with this information. Then some months later a girl from India found this blog, had her upper wisdom teeth removed and it fixed her problem! Needless to say she was very grateful.

 

[Deniseh]

Ah right. My orthodontist said this yes, but I'm not so sure it's a usual case of TMJ as I do not get any pain in my jaw, only ear ringing and popping. Plus if you google TMJ and wisdom teeth it says "retaining wisdom teeth is one common cause of TMJ disorder" so I believe I'm in this category but I don't know for certain yet.

One other thing to mention, a year ago I spoke to this girl from Poland whose blog I found online regarding her ear problem and she had all the same symptoms as me. I suggested the wisdom tooth possibility so she updated her blog with this information. Then some months later a girl from India found this blog, had her upper wisdom teeth removed and it fixed her problem! Needless to say she was very grateful.

Wow @George Ablett

That's excellent so there is hope then.

Is your t loud and are you managing it?

Mine keeps changing, screech is only there intermittently but I have a low buzz that changes and seems to go up and down with my breathing especially after a hot shower and then fades into the background thought this was maybe something to do with bp?

 

[George Ablett]

Definitely. If you haven't got tinnitus purely from loud noises then everyone should be hopeful I think.

Hmm I really can't judge if I have loud or quiet t but I guess I don't notice it during the day unless I'm in a very quiet room. It's worst in the mornings and at night laying down but I believe that's to do with the pressure in my ears. They feel very stuffy and I have to yawn or open my jaw to unblock them but still get popping and clicking in the right ear. The t never changes though, just constant high pitch.

That must be awful for you, sorry to hear that. Do you ever get like an underwater sound in your head sometimes as you talk or your jaw movements don't affect it?

 

[Deniseh]

@George Ablett

No I don't get an underwater feeling just blocked ear feeling lol, sometimes moving my jaw or even bending over causes the pitch to change so it sounds like an engine revving high and low, it's not terribly loud (the now anyway) probably a 2 on the scale but just annoying when you tune into it.

I also hear it worse at night, although it's ok when I go to sleep, it's just when I wake up it has intensified, so I need to use my tinnitus app to get back to sleep.

Oh the joys.

 

[Tinniger]

I consider an inflamed upper wisdom tooth to be a much more obvious cause of tinnitus than GERD or vitamin B12 or folic acid deficiency due to its proximity to anatomical structures of the hearing system.

 

[Deniseh]

@Tinniger

I do as well and I'm soo hoping we're both right, I have a chronic fear of dentists but I'm going to have to suck it up and get it sorted and hopefully (in my dreams anyway) the dreaded t will end

I am trying to be positive and keep my fingers crossed x

 

[Deniseh]

@George Ablett

Hi

meant to say your orthodontist is soo wrong as wisdom teeth almost certainly affect your Eustachian tubes, my DD who is 20 is getting her wisdom teeth through just now (only the bottom ones) but the left one became slightly infected, the dentist flushed it out and it's much better but both ears have been blocked and popping because of this inflammation which has obviously affected her Eustachian tubes so professionals aren't always right xx

 

[DebInAustralia]

@Tinniger

I do as well and I'm soo hoping we're both right, I have a chronic fear of dentists but I'm going to have to suck it up and get it sorted and hopefully (in my dreams anyway) the dreaded t will end

I am trying to be positive and keep my fingers crossed x

How did you get on?

 

[Deniseh]

Hi @DebInAustralia

Sorry for he long wait in replying, just actually read your post.

So I eventually plucked up the courage to see a dentist, had a discussion re my wisdom tooth and she advised an extraction was needed. Had a conversation regarding my tinnitus and ear problems and she said (no guarantees of course) that your ear shares nerves with wisdom teeth so this 'could' be causing my problems. So anyhow I had an appointment for June 4 and it obviously got cancelled due to COVID-19

I'll keep you posted when things are back to normal lol

Denise x

 

[Lane]

I have a broken wisdom tooth on the same side as my tinnitus ear and it's always very sensitive. I also had an abscess in it although that was last year

@Deniseh -- If you're still on the forum, there's a non-traditional remedy that might work for your abscess, called Chlorine Dioxide. Some oral care companies have this compound in many of the products they sell.