Need Help. Please!

[Bill Bauer]

I wont let my tinnitus dictate my life.

You can ignore reality, but you won't be able to ignore the consequences of ignoring reality...

since its only been a week, im hopeful that it'll go away or i will habituate to it very very well.

There is a very high chance that you will be ok. Hopefully you will be covering theory during the first few months of dental school, and you will be able to recover before you will be exposed to drill noises.

It sounds like the special ear plugs for dentists are tailor made to reduce the frequencies of the sounds produced by dental hand pieces.

 

[Bill Bauer]

i used to listen to LOUD music through my headphones

You can still listen to music, but it is a bad idea to use headphones, or to set the volume to a high level.

 

[dpdx]

I also listened to music for about 40 minutes per day while running outside, the volume was beyond the half mark. I wish i knew about tinnitus back then as I would have protected my ears religiously. What happened...happened...all we can do now is hope for the best.

In addition, you also need to watch your diet as that can impact tinnitus, that means no caffeine or alcohol. However, this varies from person to person. I for instance cant have foods high in sodium or sugar as that aggravates the tinnitus. It seems that diet plays a role as well, but then again it could vary from individual to individual. Our ears are compromised now and all we can do is take care of them.

 

[dpdx]

You can still listen to music, but it is a bad idea to use headphones, or to set the volume to a high level.

Bill, I make sure when I watch TV to have volume down to 5 or even 4 and put subtitles on.

 

[Potter]

I also listened to music for about 40 minutes per day while running outside, the volume was beyond the half mark. I wish i knew about tinnitus back then as I would have protected my ears religiously. What happened...happened...all we can do now is hope for the best.

In addition, you also need to watch your diet as that can impact tinnitus, that means no caffeine or alcohol. However, this varies from person to person. I for instance cant have foods high in sodium or sugar as that aggravates the tinnitus. It seems that diet plays a role as well, but then again it could vary from individual to individual. Our ears are compromised now and all we can do is take care of them.

I agree. I dont drink any coffee nor alcohol ever. hate coffee, and I am a muslim...so that answers the alcohol part. also funnily enough, im slowly transitionion into becoming a vegan. i feel like this will help too.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Bill, I make sure when I watch TV to have volume down to 5 or even 4 and put subtitles on.

It took me a long time to figure all of these things out. I am happy for you that you had figured it out so early in your T journey.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I dont drink any coffee nor alcohol ever.

Normally, I don't drink alcohol. The one time when I tried drinking a small amount during the past 8 months, my T switched ears (!!!). I was terrified. Needless to say, I never tried drinking alcohol again.

 

[Potter]

You can ignore reality, but you won't be able to ignore the consequences of ignoring reality...


There is a very high chance that you will be ok. Hopefully you will be covering theory during the first few months of dental school, and you will be able to recover before you will be exposed to drill noises.

It sounds like the special ear plugs for dentists are tailor made to reduce the frequencies of the sounds produced by dental hand pieces.

It sounds like the special ear plugs for dentists are tailor made to reduce the frequencies of the sounds produced by dental hand pieces

Sorry, but i honestly can't tell what you mean by this? Is this a good thing or not? are you saying that the ear plugs only reduce frequencies for hand pieces and not the drill machines, cleaning machines? Or do you mean they reduce it for all dental equipment/machines uses. If you could please clarify. i'd be very grateful

 

[dpdx]

It took me a long time to figure all of these things out. I am happy for you that you had figured it out so early in your T journey.

Bill, I have to take my mind off of it as it makes me anxious/stressed out. Last week I was able to actually read a histry book and study German, since the volume of the tinnitus was a mere 3. You have to keep your mind busy and eat healthy.

 

[dpdx]

I agree. I dont drink any coffee nor alcohol ever. hate coffee, and I am a muslim...so that answers the alcohol part. also funnily enough, im slowly transitionion into becoming a vegan. i feel like this will help too.

I would also exclude sweets! I started walking a few days ago outside with earplug of course, exercise increases the blood flow to the ear. I am wondering whether I should continue walking outside or not, as there are many sounds outside. I don't want to increase the tinnitus higher as that would be a nightmare!

 

[Bill Bauer]

I was unfortunate enough to need dental drilling recently. I was worried that I would get a permanent spike. However the dentist was able to use a laser, and only needed a drill to shape the new filling. I could hear the drill through my regular ear plug. I was saying that perhaps the special dentist ear plugs (today is the first time I heard of such a thing) are more effective from shielding the person wearing them from the noises dentists are exposed to. [By the way, I thought that a hand piece was another term for a drill.]

 

[dpdx]

I was unfortunate enough to need dental drilling recently. I was worried that I would get a permanent spike. However the dentist was able to use a laser, and only needed a drill to shape the new filling. I could hear the drill through my regular ear plug. I was saying that perhaps the special dentist ear plugs (today is the first time I heard of such a thing) are more effective from shielding the person wearing them from the noises dentists are exposed to. [By the way, I thought that a hand piece was another term for a drill.]

I would tell the dentist to take breaks in between drilling, like small bursts or something.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I would tell the dentist to take breaks in between drilling, like small bursts or something.

I asked him to drill for 5 seconds and take 10 second breaks. Then I paid $300 for the extra time. This was during my initial appointment. I believe that when I had my dental procedure he had forgotten about the $300. He was not very cooperative! In any case, I didn't get a permanent spike, so it is all good.

 

[Potter]

I was unfortunate enough to need dental drilling recently. I was worried that I would get a permanent spike. However the dentist was able to use a laser, and only needed a drill to shape the new filling. I could hear the drill through my regular ear plug. I was saying that perhaps the special dentist ear plugs (today is the first time I heard of such a thing) are more effective from shielding the person wearing them from the noises dentists are exposed to. [By the way, I thought that a hand piece was another term for a drill.]

Oh i understand. However, pretty much 90% of dentists dont wear any sort of ear protection. of course, i dont know this for fact, but lets be honest, most dont. So say the average noise in the room is around 90db. with GOOD hearing protection you can lower your exposure significantly. If i was to use to use these whenever i need to operate, im sure it wouldnt have a negative impact on my. hey, im speaking about things 7-8 years from now... my T may pretty much be gone by then, or it may still be there.

also, the first semester wont include much loud noises. 2nd semester will (february onwards). hopefully by then my T is gone or non-existant to me.

Final thing i wanted to ask you...do the majority of people in my position (i have had T for a week) recover and stop hearing it completely? i cant really find the stats to it... i was hoping you would know

 

[dpdx]

I asked him to drill for 5 seconds and take 10 second breaks. Then I paid $300 for the extra time. This was during my initial appointment. I believe that when I had my dental procedure he had forgotten about the $300. He was not very cooperative! In any case, I didn't get a permanent spike, so it is all good.

Oh i understand. However, pretty much 90% of dentists dont wear any sort of ear protection. of course, i dont know this for fact, but lets be honest, most dont. So say the average noise in the room is around 90db. with GOOD hearing protection you can lower your exposure significantly. If i was to use to use these whenever i need to operate, im sure it wouldnt have a negative impact on my. hey, im speaking about things 7-8 years from now... my T may pretty much be gone by then, or it may still be there.

also, the first semester wont include much loud noises. 2nd semester will (february onwards). hopefully by then my T is gone or non-existant to me.

Final thing i wanted to ask you...do the majority of people in my position (i have had T for a week) recover and stop hearing it completely? i cant really find the stats to it... i was hoping you would know

Your T might be gone by then or you might still have it, it just wont be loud as it once was. I would keep my ears protected from now on if I were you. This is my third week with tinnitus and believe me after one week I knew it here to stay. If you are lucky it can go away or it can fade away to a level where it will be a minor annoyance.

 

[Bill Bauer]

hey, im speaking about things 7-8 years from now

Unless you get a secondary acoustic trauma, there is a high chance that your T will be gone, or at least will have faded by that time.

I would be mostly concerned about the next 3-6 months.

 

[Potter]

Unless you get a secondary acoustic trauma, there is a high chance that your T will be gone, or at least will have faded by that time.

I would be mostly concerned about the next 3-6 months.

I wont be using any of the real dental machines/drills in the first year. i'll use a small bolt, almost like a pen, to craft a prosthetic mould of teeth. it's loud but thats pretty much it. with correct ear protection it shouldnt be harmful. wont be using it daily, simply for a day max

 

[Potter]

anyone else want to add anything?

today i went out to the biggest mall in London, was noisey, went on the train and tram, noisey, however I never once felt uncomfortable I didnt wear any ear plugs. everything was fine. Now im in bed, and my T still sounds the same, maybe even a bit less quiet.

what are your thoughts on this?

 

[butterfly75]

anyone else want to add anything?

today i went out to the biggest mall in London, was noisey, went on the train and tram, noisey, however I never once felt unformtable. I didnt wear any ear plugs. everything was fine. Now im in bed, and my T still sounds the same, maybe even a bit less quiet.

what are your thoughts on on?

If you didn't experience any discomfort during the trip to the mall and your tinnitus didn't increase, then you're fine. You don't need to wear earplugs as long as you don't feel uncomfortable. Trust your ears. If it feels too loud, just wear earplugs. Otherwise, you're probably safe.

 

[Potter]

so yesterday and today i went out again without earplugs. yesterday, went to the mall with my mum on the bus (loud) and inside the mall it was loud too. outside people were playing music etc. the DB i measured was mainly around 80db.

today i went to cash a cheque, and took the bus. i bus was FULL of school children that were screaming and shouting non stop. i never felt uncomfortable, only time i even get slightly uncomfortable is when i get nervous about the possibility of the noise making my T worse. this is a small mental thing, i never experince any pain though.

now im at home, and my T is the same. it DEFINITELY has not worsed. if anything it may be a little quiter actually.when im out, i can barely hear my T. only when its relatively quiet (quiet enough to hear myself breathe), thats when i can hear it.


whats everyones take on this? do u guys think mine can eventually go away?

thanks!!

 

[Bill Bauer]

whats everyones take on this? do u guys think mine can eventually go away?

Just because it didn't get louder, doesn't mean exposure to all of those noises hasn't slowed down your recovery. I think that if you don't protect your ears, the chance of it never going away will be higher.

 

[Potter]

hey guys.

been almost 3 weeks since i got it, no real improvement in terms of sound. I can barely hear it when outside (mind is distracted and sounds mask it), but when i get home, i can hear it all the time. volume is the same. still havent used apple earbuds since i got T. ( i used to listen to loud music for easily 1-2 hours a day daily for past 6 years).

if it stays like this forever, i can cope. just dont want it to get worse. i remember for around 2-3 days i haibutated to it very well and didnt notice it much, and even when i did, it didnt bother me. now, its kinda bothering me again. i dont wear any ear protection, noises such as highway cars, motocycles, traffic, downtown, malls.. these things havent made my T worse, and ive been exposed to these sounds everyday since getting T. so, i dont think i need to wear earplugs when going out.

again, what do you guys project for me? reckon it will go away, or will i habituate to it very well?

also, since i have TMJ, and whenver i speak i hear popping in my ears, and when swallowing i can hear both my ears popping and cracking...is my T caused by my TMJ? ive had tmj for 18 months, why would my T start only 3 weeks ago?

thanks!

 

[butterfly75]

hey guys.

been almost 3 weeks since i got it, no real improvement in terms of sound. I can barely hear it when outside (mind is distracted and sounds mask it), but when i get home, i can hear it all the time. volume is the same. still havent used apple earbuds since i got T. ( i used to listen to loud music for easily 1-2 hours a day daily for past 6 years).

if it stays like this forever, i can cope. just dont want it to get worse. i remember for around 2-3 days i haibutated to it very well and didnt notice it much, and even when i did, it didnt bother me. now, its kinda bothering me again. i dont wear any ear protection, noises such as highway cars, motocycles, traffic, downtown, malls.. these things havent made my T worse, and ive been exposed to these sounds everyday since getting T. so, i dont think i need to wear earplugs when going out.

again, what do you guys project for me? reckon it will go away, or will i habituate to it very well?

also, since i have TMJ, and whenver i speak i hear popping in my ears, and when swallowing i can hear both my ears popping and cracking...is my T caused by my TMJ? ive had tmj for 18 months, why would my T start only 3 weeks ago?

thanks!

It's normal to go through stages like that where tinnitus doesn't bother you and it fades into the background, and you feel calm and relaxed, and then it begins to bother you again and evokes the same feelings of anxiety and discomfort. Eventually these stages where you feel anxiety because of the tinnitus will happen much less frequently and you'll be able to integrate tinnitus into your normal, everyday life.

Be careful about being in the city and motorcycles because these noises can be too loud. A motorcycle passing can be louder than 85 db which is unsafe. And occasionally sounds in the city can reach higher than 85 db as well. An easy solution for this would be to just carry around a pair of earmuffs with you (since earplugs would take too long to put in during these situations) or just press your fingers against your ears. Try to avoid these sounds. It's hard to do, and we don't have much control over these situations but if you're exposed to these sounds suddenly, just protect your ears.

I have TMJ too and I don't think it really affects my tinnitus. An ENT might be able to provide you with some guidance as to whether it was probably caused by loud noise or TMJ issues.

If the tinnitus will remain or go away differs from each situation. For many people, it does go away. If you protect your ears and avoid loud noises than it might go away or it probably won't get much louder than it is now.

 

[Potter]

It's normal to go through stages like that where tinnitus doesn't bother you and it fades into the background, and you feel calm and relaxed, and then it begins to bother you again and evokes the same feelings of anxiety and discomfort. Eventually these stages where you feel anxiety because of the tinnitus will happen much less frequently and you'll be able to integrate tinnitus into your normal, everyday life.

Be careful about being in the city and motorcycles because these noises can be too loud. A motorcycle passing can be louder than 85 db which is unsafe. And occasionally sounds in the city can reach higher than 85 db as well. An easy solution for this would be to just carry around a pair of earmuffs with you (since earplugs would take too long to put in during these situations) or just press your fingers against your ears. Try to avoid these sounds. It's hard to do, and we don't have much control over these situations but if you're exposed to these sounds suddenly, just protect your ears.

I have TMJ too and I don't think it really affects my tinnitus. An ENT might be able to provide you with some guidance as to whether it was probably caused by loud noise or TMJ issues.

If the tinnitus will remain or go away differs from each situation. For many people, it does go away. If you protect your ears and avoid loud noises than it might go away or it probably won't get much louder than it is now.

Hey butterfly! firstly, thank you for always sharing your opinions on my thread. i really appreicate it.

one thing i must say, the whole DB thing seems to be weird to me. there was a time last week where i was simply measuring the sound levels of EVERYTHING for hours. suprisngly enough, A LOT of things are 80db or higher. in a quiet room, when im talking to my mum, the DB goes to a low 80. a casual mall is always 80db. trust me when i say this, A LOT OF THINGS AND NOISES GENERATE 80DB OR MORE.

i personally think hearing plugs are great for LOUD CONCERTS AND GIGS AND DRILLING NOISES etc. but other everyday noises, i feel like our ears and brains are accustom to these sounds even if loud for a split second (a loud motorbike passing by or loud car horn).

but yes i agree, when exposed to a loud horn or motobike etc, i always put my fingers in my ears to protect my ears. i always have done in my life lol

thank you again !!!

 

[dpdx]

Hey butterfly! firstly, thank you for always sharing your opinions on my thread. i really appreicate it.

one thing i must say, the whole DB thing seems to be weird to me. there was a time last week where i was simply measuring the sound levels of EVERYTHING for hours. suprisngly enough, A LOT of things are 80db or higher. in a quiet room, when im talking to my mum, the DB goes to a low 80. a casual mall is always 80db. trust me when i say this, A LOT OF THINGS AND NOISES GENERATE 80DB OR MORE.

i personally think hearing plugs are great for LOUD CONCERTS AND GIGS AND DRILLING NOISES etc. but other everyday noises, i feel like our ears and brains are accustom to these sounds even if loud for a split second (a loud motorbike passing by or loud car horn).

but yes i agree, when exposed to a loud horn or motobike etc, i always put my fingers in my ears to protect my ears. i always have done in my life lol

thank you again !!!

I always wear a ear plug when I am out in the public. There are too many sudden noises! Please keep us updated on your journey to recovery