Finally Found the Cause of My Tinnitus (Dental Fillings)

[Karam]

I know my tinnitus started from headphones usage or antibiotics but it had reduced over the weeks.

I also know that I have a mild TMJ disorder because my jaw always used to click when I eat but this alone did not cause it.

I noticed that since onset I had 1 or tone but recently I've developed a lot of tones which thankfully some went away.

However, I traced back why this has been happening and I realised that I went to the dentist two months ago to get fillings, from that day I felt the fillings had been too high and that my bite was off. My TMJ become very sore and still kinda is.

So I was wondering that since the cause of my tinnitus is noise induced but I would say it is a 3-4 out of 10 in severity it must be this that is making it worse because when I got tinnitus it had reduced a lot but these months I've been spiking so many times. I know I won't spend thousands on a splint, maybe a mouth guard at night.

But since the fillings were too high which was in turn partly causing my ear issues, is it possible as its a physical cause, ask the dentist to fix my fillings which will maybe alleviate some of the ear issues?

 

[stophiss]

There has been conjecture that teeth fillings cause tinnitus, but the facts are...there are many 70 year olds out there with a mouthful of fillings as in worse case old school metallurgy and they don't have tinnitus.

If you are a loud music and/or headphone guy and have TMJ, this perfect storm is likely a strong contributor. I hope you revise your loud listening habits and address your TMJ if you have jaw clicking.

Having a high bite aggravating TMJ is not good for your tinnitus of course and for anybody it is uncomfortable. I am uber fussy about my bite for example. I don't have TMJ...but nerve damage due to a rear lower molar extraction. Be sure to have your dentist adjust your bite...a standard practice whenever teeth are filled....they use a bluing paper to determine the high spots as you tap your bite. Keep in mind, a dentist can't tell if your bite is high. Only you know if your bite is correct after having your teeth filled and so you have to tell him.

Good luck.

 

[Michael Leigh]

@Karam
TMJ can certainly cause tinnitus but my feeling is it's the Headphones that is causing you the main problem. Your tinnitus was quite low before wasn't it? Then, you went back to listening to headphones and probably didn't realize you might be causing problems. It happens and you didn't do anything stupid so don't be too hard on yourself.

My advice is not to use headphones of any sort. If your tinnitus isn't calming down the quicker you can get to be seen at ENT the better. I am sorry to know you are in such discomfort because I have been in the exact same position. Get to a an ENT Dr and a referral to an hearing therapist.
Best of luck
Michael

 

[Karam]

@Michael Leigh i did use ear phones a couple of times before but i stopped, my tinnitus is still kinda low but when exposed to sound it gets higher, i also keep on developing new tones that sometimes go away but do you reckon this is because of hyperacusis?

 

[Michael Leigh]

@Karam
From what you describe it sounds like hyperaucusis (sensitivity to sounds) In my opinion use sound enrichment at night using a sound machine. You need to be seen by a professional ENT doctor Tinnitus Talk can only do so much. The quicker you are seen by a doctor and hearing therapist in my opinion the better you will feel.
I advise you to never be tempted to use headphones again even after your tinnitus and hyperaucusis have quietened down, as you are risking this happening again and next time could be worse.

Get to doctor and you'll start to feel less stressed. Don't forget to use a sound machine at night at low level.
Michael

 

[Karam]

@stophiss yeah good idea

 

[Karam]

@Michael Leigh im waiting for an ent reffaral they take a long time in England

 

[MikeP505]

Hey Karam.

First of all, no matter what I would go back to that dentist and have those fillings lowered until they no longer interfere in your bite. This is most uncomfortable and should not be left undone too long. I had one done again recently and the dentist was trying to rush thru the procedure. He left a filling a tad high and I said, it's bothering me. So he sanded it down some and said " there you go now see you later " and walked out. I sat there a minute and noticed it was still high. So I told his staff I will be waiting in that dental chair til he gets back and fixes my filling!!

He was a little more patient with me when he got back. He knew I was aggravated at his lack of care and was very careful to get my filling to a comfortable height.

Go back and get them lowered no matter what!

 

[Karam]

@MikeP505 is the sanding procedure like the filling procedure or is it easier to do

 

[MikeP505]

Yes it's the exact same. They grind the filling down a tad. I called it sanding but it's really the same drill they use with a grinding bit.

 

[MikeP505]

When you place your fingers just in front of each ear, and open and close your mouth, you can feel the jaw joint working. If your bite is off this is hard on these joints and muscles and they are so close to the ears.

Definitely go back and get them lowered.

 

[Karam]

@MikeP505 the drill is so loud lol

 

[Michael Leigh]

@Karam
Do not underestimate the NHS Karam because it is one of the best health systems in the world. It is true that ENT appointments can take a long time but I will explain the reason for this below. Twenty years ago I had to wait 6 months for my first appointment. I asked my GP could he please refer me to a private tinnitus clinic because I was so desperate. His words were and I'll never forget and they are proven to be true: " You will get the best help and long term aftercare under the NHS". I have had very good treatment over the years. I recently got two new digital white noise generators costing a lot of money for totally free.

Private health care for tinnitus cannot compete with the NHS because tinnitus can be a long-term problem and treatment programme for some people like me. Private tinnitus clinics are ok for a quick fix: perhaps some counselling and treatment programme like TRT. The famous clinic in London I won't mention the name charge an arm and a leg for their treatment. Two people I know have been to that clinic and after spending a lot of money the results were not good so they tell me.

Back to the NHS. There is a good reason why ENT appointments take a long time and in some cases up to 6 months. The ear is a very delicate organ; the last thing ENT doctors what to do is to start messing around with it, as the problems could be made worse. For this reason they prefer to leave things alone and wait. Many people with tinnitus find the condition improves by the time they are seen at ENT. If the problem persists for a long time then doctors will decide to start treatment.

If you were having balance problems, dizziness, deafness or pain in your ears then you would be seen a lot quicker. Because you just have signs of tinnitus at the moment they prefer to give it time. Believe me although it seems a long time to wait it will be worth it. You will have all the right tests and be referred to a hearing therapist if your symptoms don't improve.

In the mean time use sound enrichment as I've said and don't use headphones and keep away from clubs that play loud music for a while.
Michael

 

[Starthrower]

Hi Karam,

Where are the fillings you feel are not properly aligned? Back lower molars are close to ear nerves. I agree the best idea is to have the dentist check your bite and correct this. It is really not a bad thing to go through. I have had this done a few times now. MikeP explained it very well.

Thanks for explaining your NHS Michael. Things here in the USA are not so great regarding health insurance and sky rocketing costs for everything. I didn't really understand the NHS until I read your post.

 

[Karam]

@Michael Leigh I see what you mean

 

[Michael Leigh]

@Karam @Starthrower

You are welcome Starthrower.
Some people in the UK do not appreciate how wonderful the NHS healthcare system is. Yes it has problems but nothing runs perfect all of the time. All some people do is moan and groan and are terribly ungrateful for something that is free.

I have a good rapport with my consultant and if it wasn't for her I don't think I would be here today. I reached my lowest ebb in 2010, as my tinnitus was so severe even after having two years of TRT. There was improvement but not like the first time when I had it almost 20 years ago.

I was really depressed for the first time in my life and asked her to be candid about my condition. She said I was the 2nd worst patient she had ever treated with tinnitus in all the years she had been an Audiovestibular consultant. I wanted the floor to open and swallow me. Then she said something that gave me hope and focus to carry on: " I will never give up on treating you". She never did. I also have a very good hearing therapist that was born with tinnitus, as many of them are.

Michael

 

[Sam Bridge]

@Michael Leigh

Michael, are you able to mask your tinnitus? I know about sound enrichment and setting the level just below the tinnitus. But at times it is nice just to completely mask it.

 

[Michael Leigh]

@Sam Bridge I don't need to mask my tinnitus because I have habituated to it. My tinnitus ranges from silent, mild, moderate, severe and very severe. Yesterday for the whole day it was intrusive to severe and I carried about my affairs with no problem. I could have taken my clonazepam to quiet things down but didn't. If it has increased to very severe level then I might have. I did use my white noise generators for a time but made sure the white noise was below my tinnitus. As I type my tinnitus is moderate and it doesn't bother me in the slightest....That what habituation means, to live with tinnitus without is bothering you which takes time.

If you mask your tinnitus so it can't be heard then you will never habituate to it. The brain cannot habituate to tinnitus unless it can hear it.
There is no need for me to mask my tinnitus no need at all but please understand this take time. If my tinnitus increased to very severe levels then it's true things can become very difficult for me then I have to take my clonazepam. Thankfully, I don't have to take it too often but I always have it just in case.
Michael

 

[stophiss]

I

@Sam Bridge I don't need to mask my tinnitus because I have habituated to it. My tinnitus ranges from silent, mild, moderate, severe and very severe. Yesterday for the whole day it was intrusive to severe and I carried about my affairs with no problem. I could have taken my clonazepam to quiet things down but didn't. If it has increased to very severe level then I might have. I did use my white noise generators for a time but made sure the white noise was below my tinnitus. As I type my tinnitus is moderate and it doesn't bother me in the slightest....That what habituation means, to live with tinnitus without is bothering you which takes time.

If you mask your tinnitus so it can't be heard then you will never habituate to it. The brain cannot habituate to tinnitus unless it can hear it.
There is no need for me to mask my tinnitus no need at all but please understand this take time. If my tinnitus increased to very severe levels then it's true things can become very difficult for me then I have to take my clonazepam. Thankfully, I don't have to take it too often but I always have it just in case.
Michael

I just want to say, you provide perhaps the most articulate voice of knowledge associated with best steps to cope with tinnitus in the absence of any cure. You perform such a great service to this forum. To me you are the voice of reason which comports the best with what is known. You give hope to many that suffer here and there are way too many that suffer with this disorder that I really knew nothing about before I contracted tinnitus after a full life of perfect hearing.
Thank you.
PS: Michael do you have any idea or theories why your tinnitus escalates at times to a severe level? Do you believe your T is reactive to noise in the environment that causes it to escalate...or it is simply the way your brain varies due to unknown reasons in terms of reaction to auditory input each day?

 

[MikeP505]

the drill is so loud lol

bzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....grindddddddd...grinddddddd....bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....zapppppppppp.....zappppppppp.....bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz......grind................grinddddddddddd............. more suction please........ drillllllllllllllll.........grind..............bzzzzzzzzzzz...............

Oh sorry, hope that wasn't too loud my friend.

 

[Michael Leigh]

@stophiss
Stophiss
Thank you for your very kind comments they are much appreciated. If I may say so, your writing has a fluidity to it that make it interesting to read. Not because of your kind words but I can see you put thought into conveying your message which is something that I always try to do. Prior to 2008 my tinnitus was nothing like it is now. It was low and quite manageable and much of the time I never heard it. It had taken years to reach that stage after being medically retired with tinnitus. I am a HI-FI enthusiast, and one evening in 2008 was listening to a piece of Haydn, and enjoying it so much turned up the volume on my amplifier and immersed myself in the music.

Audiophiles will tell you at this stage the speakers disappear and they are in a state of audio nirvana. Afterwards, I went to bed without any problems. In the morning I noticed my tinnitus was quite intrusive, it hadn't been that way for a long time. Over the following days the noise grew louder and louder and reached a point of pure cacophony is the only way to describe it. My once peaceful life as I knew it was over. I was fast tracked to ENT and began TRT for the 2nd time and that lasted two years. I was not in a good way for those two years. At times my life was a living nightmare. I had huge fluctuations in my tinnitus that went from silent, mild, moderate, severe and extremely severe. My hearing therapist and consultant had never seen a patient with my type of tinnitus.

As I have previously said, in 2010 after two years of having TRT, I had reached a point where the treatment couldn't do any more. I asked my consultant to please be candid with me about my condition. Well you know what she said and that's when I was prescribed clonazapam. I was told of its addictive nature and advised to only take it when my tinnitus was severe. If it's taken too regular the body quickly habituates to it and more of the drug needs to be taken to get relief. It helped me through some dark times. It took me 4 years to habituate and by now it was 2012. My tinnitus is quite strange. I don't have hyperacusis that took 2 years to cure when I first got it with my tinnitus in 1996. It was so severe I had to ask people to please lower their voice when talking to as my ears hurt so much.

My tinitus can go so quiet I can hear a pin drop and when it reaches very severe levels within my head is like a loud swarm of bees/hissing. I can cope with this for about a day or two and then it becomes too much I have to take the clonazapam. When the tinitus is mild, moderate bordering on severe I can cope quite easily. My auditory system is not affected by sound or reacts to sound, and I don't have any hyperacusis. If I use a laptop computer or desktop for a few hours I will be in serious trouble. My tinnitus increases to such an intense level not even clonazapam can calm it. I just have to pray that it calms down. For this reason my computer tower unit is in another room and I use a wireless keyboard, mouse and television as a monitor.

I have tried to figure out why my tinnitus has such huge fluctuations in intensity but haven't found an answer. One thing I do know, I can't use a computer in the conventional way (near field) as I will be in serious trouble.

Michael

 

[Karam]

@Michael Leigh kinda scared me but life goes on, wait so how loud were the speakers?

 

[Michael Leigh]

@Karam I didn't have a sound level meter with me. I was listening to classical music so didn't think the volume was too high. But it's the only thing that I can of that caused the increase in my tinnitus when I woke the next morning.
Michael

 

[Karam]

@Michael Leigh im scared to go to sleep lol, i was playing football and one of my friends bought a speaker it was far away from me so I don't think it done damage, it wasn't really loud

 

[Michael Leigh]

@Karam The only piece of advice that I can give you is, to never forget that you have tinnitus and protect your hearing at all times when around loud sounds.

 

[Karam]

@Michael Leigh yes i try my best to but sometimes you cant avoid loud noise

 

[Michael Leigh]

cant avoid loud noise

That is true. I meant when going out to nightclubs, the cinema and concerts. Even if you have noise-reducing earplugs if the sound is loud enough it can cause damage to the auditory system. I would also advise don't go to places where loud music is played too often. Everything in moderation not excess.

 

[Karam]

@Michael Leigh okay thanks for the advice