Dental Work Ruined My Progress

[NimQ]

Update 3: Today is my 6th day on Prednisolon. I was afraid there would be horrible side effects, since my stress and anxiety levels were through the roof even without it... But to my surprise, there hasn't been any strong adverse effects so far: I feel sleepier if anything and then after napping all day it's been hard to sleep at night. But nothing drastic, for me. Four more days to go, but with small doses of 20 mg x 2 days and 10 mg x 2 days.

So, how about my right ear, the one that got non-stop echoing drill sound after very noisy dental work? Well, I was unsure whether or not to post anything, because I don't want to jinx it and be too hopeful. After starting Prednisolon there's been some changes to the new T - the sound "chirps" and "beeps" as if trying to find itself a stable tone again, but mostly it's been blaring away digging really deep into my mind. Today something is different, though! My head is not completely full of pressure drill, this feels more like my old T before that damning dentist visit. It's like at least the worst sound is absent today and I so much and so very desperately hope it stays that way. Before I started Prednisolon the drilling sound stayed 24/7 and was evenly (and horribly) loud with no pauses or any changes during those +10 days, so I think something is happening.

I also finally found one and only masking sound that actually helps me. I'm tagging @JimChicago, since perhaps it will work for you too. I kept downloading different apps and testing all kinds of sounds, no luck... But then I downloaded Sleep Pillow app (for android, for iphone) and created a mix with wind chimes (1st in category Wind & Fire) and forest chirping (2nd in category Nature & Animals), here's a picture of the chosen sounds:

And it somehow distracts my T and even when it doesn't completely mask it, it gives a great relief and easier to sleep with it. Just thought someone might benefit from this tip, if their difficult high frequency T gets soothed by this sound combination as well.

 

[Jantine]

How are you feeling now? Tuesday I visited the dental hygienist and he used the ultrasonic tooth cleaning method on me. I have a spike since, a very high static new hizz. I don't know what to do and want to know if there are people that experienced a spike after detnal cleaning and if it was temporary or permanent.

 

[NimQ]

How are you feeling now? Tuesday I visited the dental hygienist and he used the ultrasonic tooth cleaning method on me. I have a spike since, a very high static new hizz. I don't know what to do and want to know if there are people that experienced a spike after detnal cleaning and if it was temporary or permanent.

Hello @Jantine - really sorry to hear you had the same experience from dental works.:/ Did it seem very loud, when the dentist was doing the cleaning? How long were there loud volume and was it continuous, or in bursts? And this spike, it is a new sound - is it very different from your usual T? Has it remained steady after Tuesday, or is it on/off, milder/louder?

My usual spikes are the same old T noises just increasing in volume. But after the dental drilling, I got this new echoing ultra high frequency drill, which felt like it kinda "filled my whole head". Hard to explain, but definitely not my usual spike... Because the drilling was undoubtedly dangerously loud and the dentist made a long session out of it, I really think it was an actual acoustic trauma. That is why I went to get Prednisolon after the spike was just steady screaming in my ear for 10 days.

In my last update I told that the new T sounds seems to be fading away, no more dental drill echo filling my head and mind. This happened on 6th day of my Prednisolon treatment (10 days in total, 2 more to go). It's just gone and I hope it stays that way! I have no way to tell if Prednisolon saved me from it becoming permanent/long-lasting or if it would have gone anyway. I just had a very strong feeling it's not an usual spike at all and as said, it kept being stable and incredibly loud for 10 days straight, before I made the decision to use corticosteroids as a desperate effort.

Then again, Prednisone/Prednisolon has better chance to help, if it's taken as quickly as possible (<48 hours), but some studies show it might work up to 3 weeks. Who knows... I wish we had a way to tell which sounds have actually harmed us, which spikes are temporary and how on earth one is supposed to deal with dental works and other unavoidable acoustic trauma risks.

In your case - hmm, I think you know the best whether the sonic sounds were loud enough to be hazardous and only you can tell whether the new T sound seems very different from your usual spikes. Anxiety will make it very hard to rationalize it, so if you are in panic mode, I'd try to first calm down before assessing the situation. Try to find something to mask the new sound, if possible and do whatever you can to reduce anxiety and shift your focus away from it. I really hope it will go away quickly, these sort of things can become such a nightmare in one's head. I'm happy if I can help.

 

[Flamingo]

How loud is your T now @NimQ? Can you hear it when you're outside doing things? It's crazy that simply procedurs like dental work, ear syringing etc can cause a worsening in T. So scary. Wishing you a speedy recovery!

 

[grotulon]

That's good... Do you otherwise ever get spikes from loud sounds and if you do, did you get any temporary spike from dental work, or none at all? Also when you got your fillings done, was it a quick job and did the dentist drill in short bursts? Just trying to understand my situation, so asking a bit more about this, hope you don't mind!

I drove with the window open once, right next to my bad ear, wasn't thinking. Spike for a week and went back down gradually.

 

[NimQ]

@Flamingo - Thank you for the well wishes. After the dental work I could hear my T on top of everything. Only shower or faucet would mask it. My old masking sounds from an app - like crickets - just wouldn't reach the ultra high frequency drill sound, plus it was just too loud. It felt like my head was booming inside, a really strange sensation of what I can only describe the most intrusive T I have yet experienced. Luckily it seems like Prednisolone helped (on 6th day of the course) and it's been back to my old T now. Phew! I already had problems with T before this latest setback, but I guess things can always get worse... At least now I can mask it again and it doesn't scream on top of everything. Such a relief.

 

[Ecip]

Don't dentists now have access to a laser drill? Should be silent.

http://www.waterlase.com/

 

[JimChicago]

Don't dentists now have access to a laser drill? Should be silent.

http://www.waterlase.com/

In the Chicago and outlying suburbs of 9.4 million people, I'm finding there are:

• relatively few dentists with lasers that do soft tissue (periodontal gum disease), and
• even fewer dentists with the type of lasers for both soft tissue (periodontal gum disease) and hard tissue (cavities, crowns, root canals): http://findadentist.waterlase.com/map/BiolaseDentistLocator.aspx
• And those that do have this dual-tissue laser, many are strictly pediatric dentists.

Regarding this specialized laser that does both soft and hard tissue, I'm finding there is little feedback (so far) that it won't aggravate T and H. I recently posted on TT seeking first hand experience/feedback and haven't had any feedback responses:

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...s/dentist-laser-vs-ordinary.2791/#post-249369

Back to Top -- Any more T-sufferers first hand accounts of Laser dentistry? (cavities/fillings, crowns, root canals, etc.)?

Especially would like to learn:
1) If the laser is quieter.
2) Sound & loudness experienced if laser also used in place of local injections to numb the nerves:

http://wgntv.com/2015/07/30/alternative-to-the-dreaded-shrill-of-the-dentist-drill/
"It's a laser that first numbs the tooth.


Dr Errico: "We'll use a little topical around the gum tissue. So what I tell people with this is you're going to hear more of a buzz, kind of like a bumble bee. We have a frequency that will be on the tooth and we'll hold it there for a minute to two minutes and that light energy at a certain frequency will penetrate through to the nerve and confuse it."


Once the nerve signal to the brain is scrambled, a change in frequency allows Dr Errico to cut through the enamel."
​

 

[JimChicago]

Update 3: Today is my 6th day on Prednisolon. I was afraid there would be horrible side effects, since my stress and anxiety levels were through the roof even without it... But to my surprise, there hasn't been any strong adverse effects so far: I feel sleepier if anything and then after napping all day it's been hard to sleep at night. But nothing drastic, for me. Four more days to go, but with small doses of 20 mg x 2 days and 10 mg x 2 days.

So, how about my right ear, the one that got non-stop echoing drill sound after very noisy dental work? Well, I was unsure whether or not to post anything, because I don't want to jinx it and be too hopeful. After starting Prednisolon there's been some changes to the new T - the sound "chirps" and "beeps" as if trying to find itself a stable tone again, but mostly it's been blaring away digging really deep into my mind. Today something is different, though! My head is not completely full of pressure drill, this feels more like my old T before that damning dentist visit. It's like at least the worst sound is absent today and I so much and so very desperately hope it stays that way. Before I started Prednisolon the drilling sound stayed 24/7 and was evenly (and horribly) loud with no pauses or any changes during those +10 days, so I think something is happening.

I also finally found one and only masking sound that actually helps me. I'm tagging @JimChicago, since perhaps it will work for you too. I kept downloading different apps and testing all kinds of sounds, no luck... But then I downloaded Sleep Pillow app (for android, for iphone) and created a mix with wind chimes (1st in category Wind & Fire) and forest chirping (2nd in category Nature & Animals), here's a picture of the chosen sounds:

View attachment 12835

And it somehow distracts my T and even when it doesn't completely mask it, it gives a great relief and easier to sleep with it. Just thought someone might benefit from this tip, if their difficult high frequency T gets soothed by this sound combination as well.

Hi @NimQ, Thanks for thinking of me!

I have a POSITIVE update to report regarding my tea-kettle loud T resulting from dental work (crown install)!
I'm seeing a reduction in my 14 khz T down to 2-3/10 and a 3/10 400hz T!!!!

Here are my details and tentative success with Prednisone in my short 67 days since Dental Acoustical trauma that resulted 8-9/10 T at 14 khz and 3/10 T at 400hz.
Note: Prednisone only helped the 14 khz T, not the 400 hz T.
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...-10-dental-induced-14khz-t.21833/#post-250469

 

[NimQ]

Hi @NimQ, Thanks for thinking of me!

I have a POSITIVE update to report regarding my tea-kettle loud T resulting from dental work (crown install)!
I'm seeing a reduction in my 14 khz T down to 2-3/10 and a 3/10 400hz T!!!!

Here are my details and tentative success with Prednisone in my short 67 days since Dental Acoustical trauma that resulted 8-9/10 T at 14 khz and 3/10 T at 400hz.
Note: Prednisone only helped the 14 khz T, not the 400 hz T.
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...-10-dental-induced-14khz-t.21833/#post-250469

It's so good to hear that you are doing better, wonderful news. Isn't it great to get rid of the horrible scream! Going back to more of a "normal T" was such a relief after hearing ultra high pitch over everything, it was like an actual dentist drill was echoing in my head. It seems that we have been in luck. What's interesting is that both of us got loud 14k T from dental works and both of these were healed by Prednisone. As I told in my latest update, the new drill-like & loud 14k sound diminished on 6th day of my 10 day prednisone course and haven't come back. My T also seems more stable now and as if the combo of 4-6 different tones got down to 2 - one in each ear. I still have my old high frequency T in my right ear (and lower, dull beep in my left), but it's different from the unbearable head-filling drill which I got after the dentist visit. Let's hope that things continue this way.

 

[LukeT130]

I'm going to the dentist tomorrow and I'm about to have a mental breakdown because I don't know what to expect. What can I do? What can I tell him to make sure this doesn't get louder?

 

[Bill Bauer]

I'm going to the dentist tomorrow and I'm about to have a mental breakdown because I don't know what to expect. What can I do? What can I tell him to make sure this doesn't get louder?

The newer drills are not as loud. My dentist said she will be getting the newer drills this summer.

Somewhere on this site, someone mentioned asking the dentist to drill for at most 5 seconds, and then pause for 10 seconds. [Supposedly, this is what some tinnitus association used to have on their site; unfortunately I couldn't locate that web page; it would have been good to show to my dentist...] Dentists DON'T want to hear you ask for this, because this will prolong the time it will take to treat you. Try offering to pay for the extra time. You can also wear ear plugs, Peltor muffs, or noise-cancelling headphones. This will not protect against the sound conducted through bone.

Another thing I learned by reading this forum is that it is important to keep your neck as straight as possible. The problem is that some dental chairs have headrests that push your head out. Try pushing your head back into the headrest...

If you get an increase in the volume of your tinnitus following your visit to the dentist, immediately visit your doctor (or go to the emergency) and beg for prednisone. If you are located in the UK, there is a high chance that the doctor won't let you have prednisone. I got lucky at the emergency in Canada (they gave me a 7-day supply [you need at least a 14-day supply + tapering days]), my family doctor wasn't helpful, and ENT didn't give me prednisone because I looked on edge to him. I am not sure whether he would have given in, had I insisted.

Let us know how it goes. Good luck!!!

 

[Bill Bauer]

p.s. It is my understanding that many dentists actually suffer from tinnitus (they spend a lot of time around those drills). My dentist said that T volume is extremely loud in one of her ears. She has been suffering for 8 years, and has habituated. I was surprised to see that she wasn't very sympathetic to my plight (!!!) She hasn't promised to drill for at most 5 seconds followed by 10 second breaks.

 

[Greg Sacramento]

There's a lot of good advice on this tread about dental work and Tinnitus. NimQ really nailed it. One thing to add is to keep your neck inline with your back. Don't bend your head forward with drilling and closed your mouth to rest your jaw if you can when the dentist isn't drilling. Prednisone will help after drilling for T spikes. Presnisone is almost useless to use several days after a noise accident, but not so with a dental spike. This is because trama will still be present within the nerves maybe for months. It's not always about the drilling and lack of ear protection, it's more common to get a spike from dental work because your neck is bend forward. Even a slight amount will put pressure on the 8 nerve that goes from the jaw to the ear.

 

[Greg Sacramento]

Bill Bauer: I started a second round of prednisone and completed two rounds so far of just 40mg each round. This is at 5 weeks from dental onset of new tinnitus. My T has lowered from an 11 to a 8, but still mostly high pitched. My dentist is also a doctor (head disorder and neck disorders) said that the pred should help because I still have jaw, tooth, bone and nerve sensations. He said if it was not somatic Tinnitus then it would be useless at 5 weeks from injury. I'm hoping this is it, but I don't think that I grinded my teeth last night, so who knows. Taking the pred again on the dentist's advice may be just a short lived psychological thing. It also could increase again after I taper off the pred. I'm only going to take a nine day regiment this time instead of fifteen. I'm also started with 40mg instead of 60mg, because my vision began very bugged when I used it before. My dentist doc said if I have to pee more than once a hour then I using too strong of a dose.

 

[Bill Bauer]

somatic Tinnitus

I see the term "somatic T" used a lot, but I am still not sure what it means. Is it T that is caused by an actual injury to the inner ear? So all acoustic trauma T is somatic T?

 

[Greg Sacramento]

Bill: Both of the dentists that I go to, won't drill 5 seconds on and 10 seconds off even with me offering more money. They said it's dangerous for them to make mistakes with the drill like speed adjusting, pressure adjusting and levelness. He also said it's not the drill, it's your neck bending that I do. Even bending my neck a half inch opens the nerves from my mouth to my ears.

 

[JimChicago]

It's so good to hear that you are doing better, wonderful news. Isn't it great to get rid of the horrible scream! Going back to more of a "normal T" was such a relief after hearing ultra high pitch over everything, it was like an actual dentist drill was echoing in my head. It seems that we have been in luck. What's interesting is that both of us got loud 14k T from dental works and both of these were healed by Prednisone. As I told in my latest update, the new drill-like & loud 14k sound diminished on 6th day of my 10 day prednisone course and haven't come back. My T also seems more stable now and as if the combo of 4-6 different tones got down to 2 - one in each ear. I still have my old high frequency T in my right ear (and lower, dull beep in my left), but it's different from the unbearable head-filling drill which I got after the dentist visit. Let's hope that things continue this way.

Sad news... My near 3 day reduction to 2/10 T last week stopped and I'm back to 8/10 14khz baseline T. This is all occurring during round 2 of 60mg/14 day tapering of Prednisone.

Worst yet, today I spoke with a highly qualified/experienced dentist who is peer reviewer and comes highly recommended and highly trusted. He has never heard of dental induced T, never heard of the 5 second on/10 second Jack Vernon PhD advisement and was not interested in taking me as a patient.

 

[JimChicago]

The newer drills are not as loud. My dentist said she will be getting the newer drills this summer.

Somewhere on this site, someone mentioned asking the dentist to drill for at most 5 seconds, and then pause for 10 seconds. [Supposedly, this is what some tinnitus association used to have on their site; unfortunately I couldn't locate that web page; it would have been good to show to my dentist...] Dentists DON'T want to hear you ask for this

Bill - Well said and true on both accounts.
I had what appeared to be new electric and air-powered drill turned on for me -- very, very quiet compared to Dremel-like sound of the drill used recently on me.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Thank you, Jim. I thought I remembered the dentist say "electric", but I wasn't 100% sure, so I decided not to mention it in my post. It is good to know that someone who cares about the volume had experienced the newer electric drills and found them to be better than the other type of drill.

 

[JimChicago]

Thank you, Jim. I thought I remembered the dentist say "electric", but I wasn't 100% sure, so I decided not to mention it in my post. It is good to know that someone who cares about the volume had experienced the newer electric drills and found them to be better than the other type of drill.

Yes. To minimize confusion, I had it demonstrated in front of me. Not used on me.
Still though it was remarkably quiet.