If My Jaw Problems Are Fixed, Will My Tinnitus Go Away?

[thinlay]

Hello, I'm coming here to try to get answers to my questions.

Indeed I have had tinnitus for about three months so I had all the hearing tests, also testing high frequencies and everything is green. I also had a brain scan which didn't show anything wrong either.

I consulted several experts in the field who all told me that my tinnitus was going to go away and that it was not sinister for me, which in truth, helped me deal better with my tinnitus when I in a very dark place.

Or maybe my tinnitus stems from a mechanical problem. I have bruxism of the jaw. I saw an osteopath and an orthodontist who both said that I had malocclusion and bruxism because I clench my teeth at night. And my jaw hurts, making it hard to move my mouth, on the right side, where my tinnitus is as well. I have trouble eating as well.

Do you think the jaw problems can explain my tinnitus? I have had malocclusion for a long time. Oh yes, I have also had aches and pains since I was born.

If my jaw is treated, is it likely my tinnitus will go away?

Thank you for your answers.

 

[oceanofsound26]

Hi @thinlay -

I consulted several experts in the field who all told me that my tinnitus was going to go away and that it was not sinister for me, which in truth, helped me deal better with my tinnitus when I in a very dark place.

Be skeptical of docs who say this. In my case, my docs never viewed tinnitus outside of the narrow dogmatic views of their own specialties. Got much better information from a neuromuscular dentist and chiropractor.

Or maybe my tinnitus stems from a mechanical problem. I have bruxism of the jaw. I saw an osteopath and an orthodontist who both said that I had malocclusion and bruxism because I clench my teeth at night. And my jaw hurts, making it hard to move my mouth, on the right side, where my tinnitus is as well. I have trouble eating as well.

Do you think the jaw problems can explain my tinnitus? I have had malocclusion for a long time. Oh yes, I have also had aches and pains since I was born.

Your symptoms match mine pretty well. I definitely suspect the root cause of my tinnitus stems from a one or a few musculoskeletal problems with my jaw and upper cervical spine at a minimum. I have suffered from bruxism at night for years, have a ~3 mm overbite, and a misaligned jaw that slopes downward to the left. TMJ is worse on the right side and tinnitus is worse in my right ear.

Do you think the jaw problems can explain my tinnitus? I have had malocclusion for a long time. Oh yes, I have also had aches and pains since I was born.

If my jaw is treated, is it likely my tinnitus will go away?

It definitely sounds like you have TMJ/TMD and possibly a misaligned jaw as well. Luckily, if your tinnitus is caused by jaw problems, there is a good chance treating them will reduce or eliminate your tinnitus altogether. @threefirefour resolved his tinnitus after fixing his jaw problems. Tinnitus really is its own monster, but stay optimistic.

A visit to a neuromuscular dentist or maxillofacial dentist would be a good next step for you and they can confirm TMJ and jaw problems and outline your treatment options (not sure if there is a different title for these specialties in France). A word of caution though, these treatments can be quite expensive. A few other steps to probe the exact cause of your TMJ (some sort of pelvic tilt, misaligned atlas, or other misalignment in your upper and/or lower body) may be worthy of further consideration. Correcting these as well will help reduce the possibility of jaw problems returning. A thread that might be helpful for you since you have other aches and pains as well - https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hi-guys-new-here-tinnitus-in-left-ear.36914/#post-474254.

I see a chiropractor, do physical therapy, and get my TMJ orthotics at the end of October. TMJ for me has been confirmed by multiple medical professionals so I am hoping that treating will reduce or eliminate my tinnitus in the future.

 

[pewpew]

I also have jaw issues, mostly from biting too hard in my sleep I think. Also, my tinnitus sound changes whenever I move my jaw.

 

[oceanofsound26]

May be of use in your TMJ-tinnitus investigation -

 

[TinnMann]

I wear a mouth guard to protect my teeth from grinding damage at night. Be mindful however that you may clench your teeth during the day. When my dentist said I probably do, I laughed. The following days I notice I in fact was clenching my jaw. I hope your TMJ gets better. FYI my mouthguard is a two piece custom guard which I posted above and it is far more comfortable than those over the counter boil and mold to shape guards.