Left ear rings when I chew/bite

[Katkin]

I have noticed a sharp ring in my left ear when I am eating/chewing or bite my teeth together, this rings also occurs sometimes on movement of my head/neck. It literally goes 'ding ding' as I chew etc. I have two molar crowns on my left side, one on the lower and one on the upper jaw. I think these crowns contain metal. I also have, what I consider to be, a misaligned jaw, as it clicks on movement. I have had the crowns for a number of years, and the clicking jaw as long as I can remember, but have only had the tinnitus since July 2013. (I also have other sounds, jet engine, hissing, buzzing etc that are sometimes quiet and other times more noticeable).

I also had a minor neck injury (left side), about four years ago, when my horse bucked like he was in a rodeo! and I fell off onto soft bouncy grass!

As I said, I have had these problems for a some time, but T only since July 2013.

I just wondered if anyone else has had similar T symptoms that may be related to teeth/jaw/neck, and if so did you have any successful treatment?

 

[I who love music]

Hello.
Yes my jaw used to click so loud when I was a teenager that people at the table could clearly hear it. Also, I had a few clunks on the head, one neck injury in particular could have cut my head off but didn't. AND, on top of that, I suffered for 24 years with very bad migraines and the chiropractor told me my neck lacked the natural curve. So... jaw, neck, head .... yes.
My family doctor, ENT, dentist, and chiropractor all said the same thing.. "Time will tell."
So I put cotton in my ears when the T spikes so I don't overload my ears. I also ask myself, "What is my response?" when the T bugs me ... this keeps me from asking, "Why me?" Somehow it seems to help.
I've had this for over 40 years.
I play music, run power tools.. and have a normal life. But I do NOT go to concerts anymore.

 

[Sound Wave]

This is called somatic tinnitus and it is very common. There are multiple threads about somatic T here in these forums.

 

[Katkin]

Thanks for your replies.

 

[applewine]

Look up trigger points and tinnitus. The most common muscles to cause tinnitus directly are the lateral pterygoid, the masseter and the SCM.

For example, I have multiple T sounds in both ears. However I suspect one of the loudest ones in my right ear is somatic. I have a lot of chronic muscle pain my face and neck and my right side masseter hurts chronically.

I've tried massaging and pressing on the deep masseter on the right and when I do so I feel a good dull ache that hurts and feels good at the same time. After I do this I get a loud hissing sound in that ear that normally rings/hisses. It lasts for a while.

I have been unable to treat my chronic muscle problems in my head, neck, face or hip. However, I have read that the SCM trigger points can trigger masseter trigger points. Therefore if the masseter trigger point will not go away you should look into the SCM muscle as a more primary cause.

Recently I found a small spot at the top of my SCM muscle that when pressed just right will refer pain to my jaw area. I suspect that this could be contributing to the chronic masseter trigger point.

It is difficult to treat this myself and therapists are few and far between. There is a good on in MA, TX and FL from what I have found, but I don't live near any of these. I'm not sure I'm ready to travel and take time off to see these people even though I have a lot of problems. If I knew what I'd get out of it I might, but I have other health issues as well.

Learn more about trigger points and tinnitus.