High-Pitch Moves from Ear to Ear

Greg Sacramento

Member
Author
Benefactor
Hall of Fame
May 16, 2017
3,754
Tinnitus Since
04/2011
Cause of Tinnitus
Syringing + Somatic tinnitus from dental work
I have tinnitus in both ears, but does anyone know why my high pitch moves from ear to ear?

The high pitch is always stronger in one ear, then it will become stronger in the other ear, especially at night.

I will put the ear with the strongest pitch to the pillow, (body positioned and lying on that side) then the loud pitch moves to my ear not on the pillow.
 
I also have high pitched tinnitus in both ears. I often feel that I hear it more in my left ear but then I also tell myself that I hear it "in my head" rather than actually in any particular ear.
I occasionally get a lower pitched hum in one ear that lasts anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. Those always scare me because they're much louder and harder to ignore so I'm always relieved when they go away.
Unfortunately, other than mentioning that I have something similar, I can't tell you why it happens.
 
Hi @Greg Sacramento , I'm not certain, but I will give an educated guess. Since the auditory system shares between left and right in the lower processing centers, it is possible that there is some altering balance between the two in your brain stem. Ultimately, I do believe this is where the change occurs.

The question is "What is the origin of that change?" It may originate from within the nervous system, but I suspect that there is a neuromuscular influence. MANY people have more than one source of their tinnitus. I suspect that you are perceiving the fluctuating predominance of one influence over the other.
 
@devonlee , Although I don't have constant tinnitus, I too experience a brief, rather profound tinnitus, usually lasting 10-30 seconds. This is almost always preceded and continues with a temporary and significant loss of hearing. I always think of ya'll on TT with this happens and occasionally offer a prayer on all or your behalf.
 
There is actually medical basis to understand some of this effect, and it is grounded upon damage to the Dorsal Cochlear Nucleus, or DCN. When the DCN becomes damaged (usually, indirectly by either vascular compression to the surrounding tissues or by neuromuscular conflict in the head, neck, and shoulders), it will become inhibited in many of its functions. One of those functions includes regulating and filtering biological processes so that they are not perceived by the auditory systems. If your Tinnitus is muscular in origin, and the DCN is failing to regulate, then, shifts in your body position can exacerbate.

Does your tinnitus amplify or change in any way if you clench your teeth or strain your neck?
 
I thank all of you for your responses. I first got subjective - high buzzing tinnitus and hyperacusis six years ago from a powerful loud ear syringing. Maybe inner damage was done to my ears that was not discovered. The H went away. Six months ago, I started to grind my teeth without seeing an increase of T. Three months ago, I had a front lower dental implant placed. I wasn't wearing ear protection and I keep bending my neck forward because of the pressure being applied to my jaw.

When I left the dental office that day, my tinnitus increased to a very high pitch. Hyperacusic also came back. My neck hurts and more so at the base of my neck. Shoulder and constant head aches. My T may increase from my neck movements and with clenching my teeth. I am uptight, because I never know when my tinnitus will take off to the level of a jet engine. This can happens in seconds. This effect can also immediately transfer from one ear to the other.

I also now have two types of metals in my mouth after the implant. Electrical currents are mentioned in connection to this for high pitch T. Sort of like ' a battery in your mouth'. I don't know about this.

Maybe with my bend bent forward during my dental implant procedure, sound traveled within the cochlear part of the 8th cranial nerve.
 
Six months ago, I started to grind my teeth without seeing an increase of T.
The question I would ask is, "What was the cause of your increased grinding?" Was it stress (alone), or was there an dental issue? Malocclusion (improper fitting together of the teeth), usually caused by physical trauma (like a blow to the jaw) or ill-fitting dental work is a "dental issue" cause of grinding. But, you indicated this was BEFORE your dental visit.
Clearly the syringing and the dental work were triggers for beginning and worsening of your tinnitus.
Sort of like ' a battery in your mouth'. I don't know about this.
Yeah, well, I try to to rule out the possibility of the unlikely, but it seems your efforts will be better spent focusing on the highly likely.
My neck hurts and more so at the base of my neck. Shoulder and constant head aches. My T may increase from my neck movements and with clenching my teeth.
Now, that seems HIGHLY LIKELY. I see that neuromuscular component as some big juicy, low-hanging fruit for your efforts, meaning that I would expect notable results by addressing this well.
I have a self-help program for addressing this. For those who feel incapable of doing the self-therapy, I recommend showing the material to a Physical Therapist, massage Therapist, of chiropractor who feels comfortable working on TMJ disorders.
I will PM you the link for that.
 
Thank you Dr. Hobbs. I will view the video and make the most of it.
 
Six months ago, I started to grind my teeth without seeing an increase of T. Three months ago, I had a front lower dental implant placed. I wasn't wearing ear protection and I keep bending my neck forward because of the pressure being applied to my jaw.

When I left the dental office that day, my tinnitus increased to a very high pitch.

Hi. Sorry for digging up an old thread. I need to get a lower front dental implant put in place and I was wondering if you could share some knowledge about what went wrong with your procedure and how to prevent it, @Greg Sacramento ?

My neck is already messed up and I think it's contributing to my tinnitus. I would be very grateful for your help. PM would be fine too. Thanks.
 
@SoundB0und

This is what happened.

Mechanical compression during hyperextension of neck with head rotation due to muscular spasms and tendinous insertions around the C1-C2 level. In other words - pressure to my front lower jaw was lifting my head/neck from/off the dental chair headset. This also caused my c spine to straighten called loss of normal lordosis.

As the vertebral arteries enter the vertebrae around C4, it can also occur at lower levels. As about 50% of c spine rotation occurs around C1, this is likely the reason for the predominance at this level.

Quote from Araz Server et al (2018) "reported reduced flow in the ipsilateral vertebral artery when the head was both hyperextended and rotated. Perhaps a position mainly encountered in dental offices".

This causes somatic tinnitus as Server discusses in article. This also caused TMJ, mouth problems, facial problems and a lot more - similar to whiplash - known as dental whiplash.

I would keep hand under jaw to give support and try real hard not to have your neck/head come off the headset even for a few seconds. Also don't turn head at all once the procedure of drilling to place the stem begins. If you have facet neck arthritis, any disc space narrowing, joint hypertrophy or spondylosis - have the dentist take breaks.

I would let the dentist know if he doesn't already that you have tinnitus so that extra time can be scheduled.

Be glad to discuss more.
 
Thank you so much this will help me a lot. I had (haven't had an audiogram in a while but I think LLLT has helped me a lot) severe hearing loss in the higher frequencies.

As my neck has gotten worse over the past year due to a chair I recently stopped using; I think it's contributing to my problems a lot.

I think I have all of these conditions you mentioned by now, googled them and the symptoms match. I'll follow your instructions and will be extra careful.
 
Thank you so much this will help me a lot. I had (haven't had an audiogram in a while but I think LLLT has helped me a lot) severe hearing loss in the higher frequencies.

As my neck has gotten worse over the past year due to a chair I recently stopped using; I think it's contributing to my problems a lot.

I think I have all of these conditions you mentioned by now, googled them and the symptoms match. I'll follow your instructions and will be extra careful.
And how did the implant go? I have to get one as well and was wondering how it ended up for you
 
And how did the implant go? I have to get one as well and was wondering how it ended up for you

I still haven't had it done yet. The reason is the R. David Case sound file(in which thread I've seen you posting as well).

I'm going to give it 2 more weeks tops as I've finally been able to sleep with it a few nights with the right volume.

If I was only doing the laser I'd have already have gone by now because it works so slow. My T is very good already, so is my H, but you can never be too careful.

I'll try to remember to post here once it's done. I'm still nervous about it because its a relatively big procedure for me and because of my neck problems.
 
I still haven't had it done yet. The reason is the R. David Case sound file(in which thread I've seen you posting as well).

I'm going to give it 2 more weeks tops as I've finally been able to sleep with it a few nights with the right volume.

If I was only doing the laser I'd have already have gone by now because it works so slow. My T is very good already, so is my H, but you can never be too careful.

I'll try to remember to post here once it's done. I'm still nervous about it because its a relatively big procedure for me and because of my neck problems.
Ok thanks ,yes I am also using the file with success so far but I'm not using it every night so I am not representative.
I need a lower implant and later on a upper implant ,wish I didn't read the bad stories on here because they add stress,I'm not worried about the sound but about the chances of hitting a nerve
 

Log in or register to get the full forum benefits!

Register

Register on Tinnitus Talk for free!

Register Now