Pulling Out Teeth to Avoid Tinnitus Due to Dental Drills

[Bill Bauer]

It can also end tinnitus, for good!

 

[Tinker Bell]

This one can...

View attachment 13192

This actually made me laugh out loud!

 

[Bill Bauer]

Are you talking about two of your front teeth ?

What will you do to replace them ?

Don't extract them because of small cavities or fillings, please.

It is the canine and the one next to it, towards the center.

I was going to look into getting a dental bridge to replace them. I don't know much about dental bridges...

 

[Michael Leigh]

I don't think lasers can be used to take out and replace a filling...

Our teeth, gums and mouth hygine need looking after @Bill Bauer. I understand your worries and concerns. You have two choices. Either going to the dentist and getting the necessary work done or choose not to. I suggest having a word with your dentist about your concerns. I believe he or she will be most accommodating and try to make the experience there pass as smoothly as possible for you.
Take a deep breath and go and see your dentist.
Michael

 

[Foncky]

It is the canine and the one next to it, towards the center.

I was going to look into getting a dental bridge to replace them. I don't know much about dental bridges...

Do you realize you're not even thinking ?

For a bridge, they will DRILL the two teeth around the one you want to replace. It doesn't matter if those teeth are perfectly healthy, they will drill them as much as they can to support the bridge. When those weakened teeth will fail, what will you do with all your missing front teeth ? Your bone level will be too low to get implants. Dentures maybe ?

You have small cavities ? Fix them and keep your teeth, that's it. Front teeth are not like molars, the drilling won't last for ages. Come on. Now about how to manage it properly, everything has been said already on this board. Do your homework and stop to freak out.

 

[Sen]

Sometimes I wonder.

What's the point in having healthy teeth if the trade off is that your ears are in permanent pain? Wouldn't it be worth it to just have dentures instead?

 

[Michael Leigh]

What's the point in having healthy teeth if the trade off is that your ears are in permanent pain? Wouldn't it be worth it to just have dentures instead?

Interesting thought @Sen and it's something I would contemplate if I knew for sure my tinnitus were to increase after having dental work. Fortunately that hasn't happened yet touch wood, in the 20 years that I've had tinnitus. I once had very severe hyperacusis. So bad I had to ask people to please lower their voice during conversation with them. Every time I went to dentist it was with great trepidation but I never noticed an increase in the tinnitus. The hyperacusis was completely cured with treatment and hope it continues to stay that way.

Michael

 

[Foncky]

So go ahead

People don't seem to read. Here we are talking about two small front teeth that need small fillings replaced. We are not talking about drilling molars for hours to put metal crowns on it.

Every case is different. I'll stop commenting about dental work because every time I do, someone suggests dentures when it is not the subject at all. Will I need to repeat again that I chose a molar extraction over drilling last year ? It was a particular situation so yes, sometimes you have to do that choice because of H. When I suggest someone to go for the drilling, it's because I feel like it can be made without a spike afterwards. But people do their choices. Just do your homework before thinking about dentures, bridges or whatever.

I'm telling you : our lives are not very comfortable with T and H. They will be even less without teeth.

 

[Sen]

My grandmother has no real teeth left and has been using dentures for 20+ years now. She seems to be fine with it.

But I agree, it's important to do your homework.

In other news, my teeth were given a clean bill of health today by the dentist. No cavities and no bone loss. Couldn't have asked for more.

 

[Michael Leigh]

In other news, my teeth were given a clean bill of health today by the dentist. No cavities and no bone loss. Couldn't have asked for more.

Good news @Sen. I had the same went to the dentist last week for my 6 month check-up

 

[Bill Bauer]

For a bridge, they will DRILL the two teeth around the one you want to replace.

I didn't know that drilling would be involved. I should have googled it...

I am screwed...

 

[Bill Bauer]

Sometimes I wonder.

What's the point in having healthy teeth if the trade off is that your ears are in permanent pain? Wouldn't it be worth it to just have dentures instead?

I guess pulling out ALL teeth is also an option, albeit a scary one. I wish I was brave enough to do this, but I can already see myself not doing it and then regretting it...

 

[Foncky]

One last thing before I quit. If you pull out all of your teeth, don't forget that sometimes, drilling is necessary, when a root is stuck for instance. Good luck !

You see, it's never all black or white. I'd even say that very often, with teeth, it's yellow !

 

[Tinker Bell]

I guess pulling out ALL teeth is also an option, albeit a scary one. I wish I was brave enough to do this, but I can already see myself not doing it and then regretting it...

With pulling teeth there's a risk of dry socket. It's the most common complication from teeth extrication and is a pretty painful condition that causes pain where the tooth was pulled as well as facial nerve pain. I imagine the pain and stress of that could spike tinnitus.

It's treated with medication applied to the socket and/or antibiotics, which then raises ototoxic concerns and could spike tinnitus.

Plus there's the matter of altering your jaw and bite. With every new filling, my dentist has been careful to check my bite to be certain it hasn't significantly changed. A mouth full of dentures or even just gums could change how your jaw aligns. And as we know, jaw concerns can very much spike tinnitus.

So anyway you look at it, there's a risk of increasing tinnitus. In that scenario, it's probably best to take the option that has the least long term ramifications for your overall health -- which would be fixing a minor cavity.

 

[Bill Bauer]

anyway you look at it, there's a risk of increasing tinnitus.

It would seem so. I guess I feel good about starting this thread - now I feel a little better about taking a risk and doing those two fillings...

 

[Tinker Bell]

It would seem so. I guess I feel good about starting this thread - now I feel a little better about taking a risk and doing those two fillings...

I need to have two fillings, too. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. I was supposed to do it last fall but had to delay due to other health problems. So here I am, stuck needing to do what should be minor dental work but is more complicated now thanks to my hearing loss.

I actually saw my dentist early on for advice (my tinnitus changes when I move my head). She was super sympathetic and even called me a week later to see how I was feeling. Offered to do whatever she can during the procedure and cleanings to help accommodate me. I trust her, and I think that's a big part of why I'm okay with moving forward with fillings.

Find someone you trust. I think that will help ease some of your concerns, too.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Find someone you trust. I think that will help ease some of your concerns, too.

When I asked my dentist about drilling for 5 seconds and taking 10 second breaks, she was noncommittal... I will have to find another dentist, as she doesn't have lasers nor does she have electric drills...

 

[GregCA]

I will have to find another dentist, as she doesn't have lasers nor does she have electric drills...

What kind of drills does she have?

 

[Bill Bauer]

What kind of drills does she have?

I know it is confusing, but there are these new drills being slowly adopted by the dentists. They are quieter, and apparently they are called "electric".
see
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/dental-work-ruined-my-progress.21355/page-2#post-251467

The older drills use electricity, but are not called "electric drills".

 

[GregCA]

I know it is confusing, but there are these new drills being slowly adopted by the dentists. They are quieter, and apparently they are called "electric".
see
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/dental-work-ruined-my-progress.21355/page-2#post-251467

The older drills use electricity, but are not called "electric drills".

I was asking because I've been wondering if what I had been spotting was air drills (they work like any air tool, i.e. with pressure from a compressor).

 

[Ph0t0n]

There are a lot of interesting comments here. I just want to dispel one "myth" about earplugs.

A little over a month ago I was at the dentist to have an implant worked on. I've been to the dentist probably 15 times when drilling has occurred (rugby tackles and bruxism tend to pummel my teeth). This last time I thought it would be just a normal visit with a bit of drilling - no big deal. However, at one point during the procedure, the drill struck a resonance with my jaw/face bone, and it made an extremely loud and painful buzzing in my left ear. I thought it would be over soon and my mouth was full of tools and gadgets so I didn't protest, and it finally ended between 1 and 2 minutes later. It never occurred to me that this was something that would permanently alter my life.

My left ear was ringing loudly that night, but I've been to concerts before so I assumed the situation would be similar and the ringing would go away the next day. It didn't. To be honest, I'm having a hard time coping right now. Now that a month as passed I fear it is too late, but I still have a small hope that maybe it'll improve. There isn't a day that goes by where I wish I could go back in time and tell myself "Stop and say something you idiot"!

I suspect that if the drill's rotational speed had been modified the resonance would have been broken. Also, drilling in short intervals would have probably minimized the effects.

The point of all this is, and I hate to use caps-lock: EARPLUGS WON'T HELP IN ALL SITUATIONS. During my last dental procedure, the sound waves were definitely traveling through the bone and earplugs would have not made ANY difference at all. Ear-damaging resonances are probably not common - after all, it happened to me only once in the 15+ times I had drilling and thousands of people get their teeth drilled everyday with no negative effects. That being said, I do agree that earplugs would help in situations where the external sound is the source of the problem. The external sound of the drill never bothered me.

I don't blame the dentist - he definitely wasn't acting maliciously and I don't think he was being negligent. There are some scientific articles online addressing the topic of tinnitus and dentist drills, but I suspect most dentists are unaware of them. I'm an engineer, so I trust math and I believe the odds of complication are extremely small, especially if you are smarter than I was and stop if the sound gets loud.

My advice to you is: suck it up, get the drilling done, wear earplugs if you want, and stop immediately if the volume spikes. Trust me, you'll know in a second if a bone resonance occurs - it's unmistakable.

 

[Greg Sacramento]

@Ph0t0n I can relate. I received my somatic tinnitus from having low speed drilling into bone for later placement of a front lower implant. I did receive a little hearing loss, but I had somatic reaction from muscle spasms in my neck and upper back and shoulders. Pressure was being applied to my jaw and by that I started to bend my head forward. Most of time, I have more high pitch in my left ear, but it moves around.

 

[Lane]

Thanks to all for the very interesting comments!

 

[Gman]

@Bill Bauer just dose up on all the things you've been taking. NR, NAC, ALCAR, A, C, E, melatonin, mag etc etc.

Drilling at the front is preferrable to the molars in terms of distance from cochlear.
Ask the dentist for regular breaks rather than one long round of drinking.

 

[Gman]

@Bill Bauer just dose up on all the things you've been taking. NR, NAC, ALCAR, A, C, E, melatonin, mag etc etc.

Drilling at the front is preferrable to the molars in terms of distance from cochlear.
Ask the dentist for regular breaks rather than one long round of drinking.

just noticed my typo. Maybe you could have a long round of drinking before or after the drilling too.

 

[Bill Bauer]

just noticed my typo. Maybe you could have a long round of drinking before or after the drilling too.

I have two prednisone pills left. I am considering taking one before the procedure, and one after, but it will suck to not have any prednisone around...