It Wasn't TMJ, It Was Just a Misaligned Jaw!

Isabella 123

Member
Author
Feb 7, 2014
226
Chapel Hill NC
Tinnitus Since
12/2013
Cause of Tinnitus
Probably traumatic noise event
I've posted a couple of times about how my daughter developed Very Loud T and resolved it by going to a dentist who said she had TMJ and fitted her with a "positioning splint" which she wore 24/7 and finally it totally cured her T. Well I talked with her further today and she said she never did have TMJ, had no symptoms of TMJ and in fact no symptoms of anything at all, other than the T. But a friend convinced her to go to this dentist (who does TMJ therapy) and the X-rays showed her jaw was very slightly out of alignment. Thus the splint. It took almost 2 years of wearing it to move her jaw back in place, she said it took 6 months before it started getting quieter but after that she saw continuing improvement till finally, blessed silence!

He told her she probably has always has a misaligned jaw but as she aged (she's now in her 40s) it finally went that last millimeter too far and impinged on her auditory nerve.

So now I have tinnitus. I'm going to her dentist soon and have him check me out!
 
oh my god isabella, you dont know how happy i am! i have been to the dentist too this morning and it seems i have the EXACT same thing your daughter has! they told me when the jaw is a bit out of alignment the bones pressees into the middle ear and there are 2 nerves there responsible for the tinnitus because of the pressure this causes in the middle ear! now i got my wisdom tooth pulled this morning cause there was a big inflamation and afterwards we will take care of the jaw! your daughter should come in here ,too, i guess! ;). my symptoms are: very high pitched tinnitus since 2 months, inner ear is completly ok, as well as hearing test and ear drum pressure. so we know its something in the middle ear,and first i thought its the neck cause i had a prolapsed disc 2 months ago, but it was c 6/7, and this usually does not cause tinnitus. now if i stick both my fingers in my ears and open and close the jaw i feel that the jaw bone ONLY of the right side is crashing into my middle ear, and this not normal and has not been this way before i got tinnitus! also in that same ear i have tensor tymani myclonus since onset of tinnitus and slight hyperacusis. im so sure its the jaw!
 
Oh I hope this is really going to work for you!! My daughter's T was so loud she couldn't even hear talking or tv or anything above the sound of it. She said she had no symptoms of anything wrong that would have alerted her the T was related to her jaw, but her friend just nagged her to death so she finally went. Keep posting, I want to know how you do with this, am really sending you positive vibes! (((0)))
 
Just curious did getting your wisdom teeth out affect your t at all. I might have to get mine out soon.

Oh I hope this is really going to work for you!! My daughter's T was so loud she couldn't even hear talking or tv or anything above the sound of it. She said she had no symptoms of anything wrong that would have alerted her the T was related to her jaw, but her friend just nagged her to death so she finally went. Keep posting, I want to know how you do with this, am really sending you positive vibes! (((0)))
 
Just curious did getting your wisdom teeth out affect your t at all. I might have to get mine out soon.
some hours after i got the tooth out, tinnitus was higher than ever before, and even a bit louder.never expierienced that before. but today its back to normal again.i think it was because it was very swollen yesterday after extraction, so i think it pushed even more into my ear on my hearing nerve or something...cause the extraction was on the side where all my ear problems are (tinnitus, tensor tympani myoclonus)
 
Oh I hope this is really going to work for you!! My daughter's T was so loud she couldn't even hear talking or tv or anything above the sound of it. She said she had no symptoms of anything wrong that would have alerted her the T was related to her jaw, but her friend just nagged her to death so she finally went. Keep posting, I want to know how you do with this, am really sending you positive vibes! (((0)))
oh my god isabella, imagine your daughter would NOT have followed the advice of her friend-she would still suffer oh my god, that would be so bad especially because it was a resolvable case! how tragic would that have been!!!
thank you for helping! and i too was thinking-well if it is the jaw, how can there not be any jaw pain, so it can not be related with tinnitus if there is no jaw pain.how wrong i was-you see, everything is possible! ;)
 
oh my god isabella, imagine your daughter would NOT have followed the advice of her friend-she would still suffer oh my god, that would be so bad especially because it was a resolvable case! how tragic would that have been!!!
thank you for helping! and i too was thinking-well if it is the jaw, how can there not be any jaw pain, so it can not be related with tinnitus if there is no jaw pain.how wrong i was-you see, everything is possible! ;)
Michela, do you have tinnitus in just one ear?
 
When I open my jaw wide it like pops to one side and then when I close it again it pops back over??When I first got T it was about two months after I got my braces done could my jaw bone be misalligned or something??
 
Michela, do you have tinnitus in just one ear?
no , in both ears ;/ . but it only started 2 months ago and believe me, with absolutely no reason at all . never had one single beep in my ear my whole life.and then, 2 weeks after my prolapsed disc in my cervical spine, several strange things started: tinnitus in both ears, high pitched, and the following sympotoms, but only on the right ear: tensor tympani mycolonus (every time i touch paper or some click sounds are around me, my right ear goes into spasm.i feel it vibrating inside my ear. afterwards ear pressure and sometimes a bit ear pain.this started the same day tinnitus started. so it has to be because of the neck or a jaw problem like described above) . inner ear and ear drum pressure faboulous say all three ENTs that i have visited!
 
no , in both ears ;/ . but it only started 2 months ago and believe me, with absolutely no reason at all . never had one single beep in my ear my whole life.and then, 2 weeks after my prolapsed disc in my cervical spine, several strange things started: tinnitus in both ears, high pitched, and the following sympotoms, but only on the right ear: tensor tympani mycolonus (every time i touch paper or some click sounds are around me, my right ear goes into spasm.i feel it vibrating inside my ear. afterwards ear pressure and sometimes a bit ear pain.this started the same day tinnitus started. so it has to be because of the neck or a jaw problem like described above) . inner ear and ear drum pressure faboulous say all three ENTs that i have visited!
Gosh, sounds awful. So you think it's cervical related? Are you going to a chiropractor?
 
Bill 112, I think it definitely is worth checking out. My dtr wore braces when she was young and it just semes logical to me that braces could move things around enough to affect the jaw. Esp since your T started at that time, and most esp since you can tell specifically that your jaw moves around. If you do get it checked please post an update! Would like to know the result! And good luck!
 
I had 4 teeth pulled and wore braces in mid 2000's and now my jaw pops and cracks like crazy when opened, my entire jaw was pretty much changed as well as the position of all my teeth. Think this definitely has something to do with T? Normal hearing, the dentist thinks I might have TMJ and has me to get a mouth guard for night sleep. Is this the same thing that you are describing isabella?
 
Yes probably. Hers was called a repositioning splint and she wore it 24/7. I'm sure there are different kinds depending on your specific problem. But I'm thinking this could be your cause and if so you are one of the lucky ones who will be cured! Keep updating!


I had 4 teeth pulled and wore braces in mid 2000's and now my jaw pops and cracks like crazy when opened, my entire jaw was pretty much changed as well as the position of all my teeth. Think this definitely has something to do with T? Normal hearing, the dentist thinks I might have TMJ and has me to get a mouth guard for night sleep. Is this the same thing that you are describing isabe
 
I had 4 teeth pulled and wore braces in mid 2000's and now my jaw pops and cracks like crazy when opened, my entire jaw was pretty much changed as well as the position of all my teeth. Think this definitely has something to do with T? Normal hearing, the dentist thinks I might have TMJ and has me to get a mouth guard for night sleep. Is this the same thing that you are describing isabella?
Mouth guard for night sleep is different from a splint ...I wear a night guard its just to help with the grinding and clenching of the teeth while you sleep ...You have me curious about the splint maybe I shold have xrays done of my jaw to see if alignment could be an issue .
 
She didn't grind her teeth or even have an uneven bite, no headaches, no jaw pain. Just screaming T that came out if the blue, and the misalignment showed up in X-rays and the splint fixed it and the T went away. It wouldn't hurt to check it out!

Mouth guard for night sleep is different from a splint ...I wear a night guard its just to help with the grinding and clenching of the teeth while you sleep ...You have me curious about the splint maybe I shold have xrays done of my jaw to see if alignment could be an issue .
never
 
She didn't grind her teeth or even have an uneven bite, no headaches, no jaw pain. Just screaming T that came out if the blue, and the misalignment showed up in X-rays and the splint fixed it and the T went away. It wouldn't hurt to check it out!


never

Isabella what do you mean by never? I have had pain in the left side of my jaw ever since I had a root canal done and since have acquired T also ...I wonder if its all related to mis alignment of the jaw could it be?
 
I only know that suddenly she had bad T for unknown reasons. She went thru all the usual ENT and audiologists and chiropractic and etc and nothing helped. She had no TMJ symptoms. She was urged by a friend to see a dental specialist and the splint realigned her jaw and the T went away. Because she had no pain or symptoms she wouldn't have gone to a dentist except that her friend was insistent. That's all I know...
 
I only know that suddenly she had bad T for unknown reasons. She went thru all the usual ENT and audiologists and chiropractic and etc and nothing helped. She had no TMJ symptoms. She was urged by a friend to see a dental specialist and the splint realigned her jaw and the T went away. Because she had no pain or symptoms she wouldn't have gone to a dentist except that her friend was insistent. That's all I know...

Hey Isabella,

Just wondering any updates on your T so far ;)
 
Hello Isabella,

I have had a couple of clues that my jaw is the reason for my T. Just wanted to ask whether did the splint hurt your daughter while getting placed?

Also, did they hurt on a daily basis etc?

God willing, even my T will disappear. I will get all the tests done in December first week. Please reply when free.

God bless for this amazing info about your daughters T.

Warm regards
Neil
 
They call it a splint but it's actually very similar to a mouth guard that you'd wear to keep from grinding your teeth. The difference is that it's adjustable and you go back every few weeks and the dentist adjusts it, sort of like how braces move your teeth around, this thing moves your jaw. Very slowly of course. When she would get an adjustment it would make her jaw kind of achy for a few days while it got used to the new shape. He told her she would not see a difference in her tinnitus for 6 months but to persevere. That's what happened. After a year her T was gone.

I had the panoramic x-Ray of my jaw but it was fine. So that wasn't a possible solution for me.

If that's your situation it won't be fun but it would be miracle to get a cure of your T!!! Good luck!!
 
My T started 18 months after I started wearing braces, and about a month after I started wearing a diagonal rubber band to correct my misaligned jaw. No doctor ever spoke of taking an X-ray of my jaw. I've only had 'close-ups' taken of my teeth for other reasons.

I'm still wearing braces and rubber bands now, and I'm wondering if I should quit or continue. Will it cure or worsen my T? Any advice?
 
You might consider seeing a maxillofacial dentist to get a panoramic X-ray of your jaw and get his/ her opinion. This kind of dentist is much different from a regular dentist. They deal with not just the teeth but also with the jaw and facial joints etc. he/she would be the one to prescribe the splint. In my opinion your braces could be causing your tinnitus but I am certainly not a professional so my opinion is not worth much...I wouldn't just stop what you're doing braces-wise without some professional opinion.
 
Just curious did getting your wisdom teeth out affect your t at all. I might have to get mine out soon.

It's funny you should mention this because a couple of weeks before my tinnitus started I had pain in my wisdom teeth.......
 
You might consider seeing a maxillofacial dentist to get a panoramic X-ray of your jaw and get his/ her opinion. This kind of dentist is much different from a regular dentist. They deal with not just the teeth but also with the jaw and facial joints etc. he/she would be the one to prescribe the splint. In my opinion your braces could be causing your tinnitus but I am certainly not a professional so my opinion is not worth much...I wouldn't just stop what you're doing braces-wise without some professional opinion.
@Isabella 123 can you share the info for the Dr that treated your daughter ?
Thanks!
 
I am currently in braces & rubber bands and developed Tinnitus about three weeks ago in my left ear. It started two days after I had surgery (non-ear/face related). The ENT thought it might be related to anesthesia, medication, etc. However, I am having terrible pain by my ear in my jaw on the left side and it has been known to pop frequently. I have also been able to make it pop on my own for years. I'm wondering if my jaw may be misaligned due to braces and TMJ. I am a teeth grinder too, which is one of the main reasons I got orthodontic treatment in the first place. This Tinnitus is no joke and is making me miserable.
 
Ohh god. I hope you get habituated soon with the ringing. Ab0ut the Jaw pain, you should take a second opinion.

Jaw problems are fixable...see a good dentist. Also, if you get your jaw sorted, there is a good chance your T will drastically reduce or totally stop.

Best of luck.
 

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