What is Your Experience with TMJ? Help Please

[MakeItStaph]

I've started having Tinnitus about a month ago and initially thought it was something ear related (although it was def not noise induced), but there was no hearing loss, no infection and nothing dramatic happened.

I had read about TMJ but didn't think I had it since I couldn't control the sound with my jaw. But recently I found a specific angle in my jaw that could increase one tinnitus sound in one year. I've also recalled that it's gotten much worse after chewing gum (coincidentally I did that in the hyperbaric chamber..)

My symptoms:

- Mild-moderate tinnitus in left ear, 3 different sounds, a hissing, a zzzzz and one that fluctuates. In right ear, just a mild hissing. These are 24h but can get very slowly worse or better over multiple days. Hyperacusis follows the intensity of the tinnitus.
- Can increase a sound in left ear by moving my jaw in the bottom left. Also when yawning and opening my jaw in certain times but that might just be due to eustachian tubes (?)
- Crackling in ears since a long time, thought it was ETD but my ears equalize properly so maybe not?
- Some cracking in upper neck and when opening jaw, probably not new.
- No jaw pain, but 'fatigue' in the jaw, it just feels tired.

Note: I had a surgery to advance my jaw 6 years ago as it was too far behind. It was part of an orthodontic treatment.

My questions:

1) Does this sound to you like Tinnitus caused by a "TMJ attack"? This was relatively sudden a month ago and got progressively worse. Would this really be 24h and have multiple different sounds in one ear or TMJ could not cause that?


2) What is your own experienced with TMJ and tinnitus? Did you manage to reduce/remove the tinnitus, did it get worse over time?

Thanks a lot

 

[MakeItStaph]

Nothing?

 

[Ambassador]

I have TMJ but as much as I wish that was the cause, it's not. If I open wide and take a bite out of something like a hard roll my jaw hinge will click and I hear a tinnitus like tone that passes almost immediately.

 

[MakeItStaph]

How are you certain that it's not the cause?

 

[threefirefour]

I have TMJ but as much as I wish that was the cause, it's not. If I open wide and take a bite out of something like a hard roll my jaw hinge will click and I hear a tinnitus like tone that passes almost immediately.

Dude that's certainly important. Fixing your TMJ will likely help your tinnitus.

 

[MakeItStaph]

Dude that's certainly important. Fixing your TMJ will likely help your tinnitus.

I've read by some posters here that say that their noise induced Tinnitus can also be modulated by the Jaw. Either they got the wrong diagnostic, have both, or it doesn't necessarily indicated that it's caused by TMJ... I hope it's not the later, I don't know what I will do if TMJ treatments don't attenuate the Tinnitus..

 

[threefirefour]

I've read by some posters here that say that their noise induced Tinnitus can also be modulated by the Jaw. Either they got the wrong diagnostic, have both, or it doesn't necessarily indicated that it's caused by TMJ... I hope it's not the later, I don't know what I will do if TMJ treatments don't attenuate the Tinnitus..

It's common. From what I hear if you can modulate your tinnitus (make it louder) by biting down, there's a good chance (>50%) that you can reduce the tinnitus by fixing an underlying jaw disorder.

Also if you have TMJ and tinnitus, there's a very good chance (up to 96%) that fixing that will help your tinnitus So by all means if you have TMJ, fix it.

 

[Greg Sacramento]

My started as a reaction to somatic problems in my neck. which caused T&H. From that I was clenching my teeth together hard and received a lot of tooth and mouth pain/soreness. My problem was on my left side as my high pitch ringing is more from left ear. I was finally able to solve the clenching problem without the continuous use of a mouth guard. It didn't help relieve my T at all and my neck is getting more progressive. I still get the cracking in upper neck at C1 C2 which is in a straight line to the temporomandibular joint. The video that I posted to Dr. Hobbs with reference of C1 C2 and TMJ really helped.

 

[MakeItStaph]

It's common. From what I hear if you can modulate your tinnitus (make it louder) by biting down, there's a good chance (>50%) that you can reduce the tinnitus by fixing an underlying jaw disorder.

Also if you have TMJ and tinnitus, there's a very good chance (up to 96%) that fixing that will help your tinnitus So by all means if you have TMJ, fix it.

Do you have any source on that 96% stat? Or anything related? That would be incredibly comforting as my Tinnitus and TMJ onset were weeks apart.

 

[Ambassador]

I know it's not the source because my tinnitus is constant and the pop only lasts for brief moments. Beside, there's not much that can fix TMJ, surgery is not a good option for me. I've had tinnitus for more years than I really know, I always heard it at night in a quiet room but never knew that it was tinnitus, I thought something in the house was making the noise. It became a problem later in my life, I have high frequency hearing loss and have had a lifetime of exposure to noise.

 

[Codaz]

Make no mistakes, TMJ fixing is a process of years. I'm trying to document everything I can in the facial pain thread, but nothing can be said as to prognosis. I saw jaw surgeons, TMJ therapists, ENT's and they all talk Chinese to each other. It's just a matter of pray, go to therapy and proceed going to therapy as there is nothing apart from TMJ massage therapy that helps.
Oh and don't forget to see the neck therapist. Big influence as well. But that is somatic tinnitus. I know nothing about other T types.

 

[threefirefour]

Do you have any source on that 96% stat? Or anything related? That would be incredibly comforting as my Tinnitus and TMJ onset were weeks apart.

Yup. Here's an interesting study found on it: https://www.tinnitusformula.com/library/tinnitus-and-tmj-dysfunction/. I implore you to also do some more research on TMJ tinnitus on your own.

Take note that in a slim majority, the tinnitus did not completely go away. Just improved. Also here's a video I found helpful in seeing what your potential TMJ tinnitus is like:

 

[Codaz]

Yup. Here's an interesting study found on it: https://www.tinnitusformula.com/library/tinnitus-and-tmj-dysfunction/. I implore you to also do some more research on TMJ tinnitus on your own.

Take note that in a slim majority, the tinnitus did not completely go away. Just improved. Also here's a video I found helpful in seeing what your potential TMJ tinnitus is like:

So the actual percentages of patients getting better is more closely to 33% as to much higher percentages. And yes I can answer the docs questions with a yes as the tinnitus is worse when clenching and AFAIK not related to sound.

 

[BuzzyBee]

Make no mistakes, TMJ fixing is a process of years. I'm trying to document everything I can in the facial pain thread, but nothing can be said as to prognosis. I saw jaw surgeons, TMJ therapists, ENT's and they all talk Chinese to each other. It's just a matter of pray, go to therapy and proceed going to therapy as there is nothing apart from TMJ massage therapy that helps.
Oh and don't forget to see the neck therapist. Big influence as well. But that is somatic tinnitus. I know nothing about other T types.

@Codaz Do you have any thoughts on dry needling?

 

[threefirefour]

So the actual percentages of patients getting better is more closely to 33% as to much higher percentages. And yes I can answer the docs questions with a yes as the tinnitus is worse when clenching and AFAIK not related to sound.

Wait, where did you get the 33% figure? From the video? And I didn't say always 96% I said Up to, like my link insinuates.

 

[alleycat]

since tinnitus is a symptom, not a disease, then fixing the underlying cause of the symptom can stop the tinnitus. I also have really bad TMJ. MRI shows my jaw misaligned and a lot of inflammation of the joints. I've been 2 months into TMJ treatment, I'm starting with a mouth splint (to reposition), acupuncture, and muscle relaxants. I saw some improvement at first but currently am suffering from my right ear feeling really full and hurting and whole right side of my face hurting. I'm going to see my ENT again tomorrow, she had asked me to try prednisone for at least one week and if that didn't fix the fullness feeling in my ear to go back to her.

I personally think my misaligned jaw is causing my Eustachian tubes to not function properly causing my fullness feeling in the ear.

I'm also getting my mouth splint adjusted majorly tomorrow to move my jaw back to its normal position even more.

My dads a doctor and he is making me go see a jaw specialist November 28th. The specialist is a surgeon so we will see if he thinks im better off with surgery than all these other methods i've been trying.

I just want the ear ringing to go away already! TMJ is such a slow process to heal though, it's not a quick or easy fix.

 

[Codaz]

@Codaz Do you have any thoughts on dry needling?

Not tried it yet.

 

[Codaz]

since tinnitus is a symptom, not a disease, then fixing the underlying cause of the symptom can stop the tinnitus. I also have really bad TMJ. MRI shows my jaw misaligned and a lot of inflammation of the joints. I've been 2 months into TMJ treatment, I'm starting with a mouth splint (to reposition), acupuncture, and muscle relaxants. I saw some improvement at first but currently am suffering from my right ear feeling really full and hurting and whole right side of my face hurting. I'm going to see my ENT again tomorrow, she had asked me to try prednisone for at least one week and if that didn't fix the fullness feeling in my ear to go back to her.

I personally think my misaligned jaw is causing my Eustachian tubes to not function properly causing my fullness feeling in the ear.

I'm also getting my mouth splint adjusted majorly tomorrow to move my jaw back to its normal position even more.

My dads a doctor and he is making me go see a jaw specialist November 28th. The specialist is a surgeon so we will see if he thinks im better off with surgery than all these other methods i've been trying.

I just want the ear ringing to go away already! TMJ is such a slow process to heal though, it's not a quick or easy fix.

Which muscle relaxants are those?

 

[Codaz]

Wait, where did you get the 33% figure? From the video? And I didn't say always 96% I said Up to, like my link insinuates.

The doc in the video is way less positive than I was hoping.

 

[threefirefour]

The doc in the video is way less positive than I was hoping.

I mostly used the paper. The video was to show exercises to see how likely your tinnitus is being exacerbated by TMJ.

 

[Greg Sacramento]

I had my teeth and mouth that were very sore, finally under control, but I must had started clenching again last night as my head became an electrical storm. My mouth is all messed up again. Degenerative neck and vein diseases are killing me. I can't even find a sound that matches my increasing high pitch electrical ringing.

I have a hard mouth guard that was made by my dentist, but it never fit right. It made my teeth hurt on my good side. I also made a soft one myself and that took a lot of added adjustments, but I lost it. It probably ended up in the washing machine from placing it on bed linen.

I hope others here do better.

 

[alleycat]

@Codaz They are Soma's

 

[just1morething]

I just want the ear ringing to go away already! TMJ is such a slow process to heal though, it's not a quick or easy fix.

I hope your noise diminishes or goes away with TMJ treatment. I'm seeing a different TMJ Dr. tomorrow. My hopes are not very high on a different appliance helping but at least I will get a 2nd opinion. My noise is getting the best of me atm but will continue to try thing things. My left TMJ makes cracking noises but doesn't really hurt unless I move it around a lot.

 

[alleycat]

@just1morething Keep your head up! I'm not giving up til I find something that works! I got my new appliance Tuesday, and have already been feeling a difference, it's not constant but some flux in the noise and ear/jaw pain which proves to me that I can fix this with my jaw treatment

 

[threefirefour]

@just1morething Keep your head up! I'm not giving up til I find something that works! I got my new appliance Tuesday, and have already been feeling a difference, it's not constant but some flux in the noise and ear/jaw pain which proves to me that I can fix this with my jaw treatment

Great stuff. I have that issue too when I move/massage my jaw. Hope an appliance will help me out.

 

[just1morething]

@alleycat - You have a great attitude. My noise is so loud and obnoxious right now that it's hard to live with. Sometimes I think it could be related to my neck also and FHP. I'm getting neck injections next week C2-C4. All the talk about noise exposure and inner ear damage caused tinnitus gives a person little hope. Does your appliance look like this one?

 

[anusha]

If I open wide and take a bite out of something like a hard roll my jaw hinge will click and I hear a tinnitus like tone that passes almost immediately.

same happens to me. How do you know that its not TMJ because I am trying to analyze my T causes.

 

[anusha]

o by all means if you have TMJ, fix it.

I don't know if the cause is TMJ. But I have the symptom of when taking a big bite of bread Tinnitus spikes up and reduces immediately. Tinnitus is there 24/7 but whenever I take a big bite of bread I can notice T spike up. Never noticed while chewing soft food.
I had ear drum perforation and hearing loss last month both are recovered but still have T. Doctor dosent know reason for T. I am starting to think if its TMJ .. my ENT doctor dosent think because I do not have any sensitivity in Jaw or any pain.

 

[Ambassador]

same happens to me. How do you know that its not TMJ because I am trying to analyze my T causes.

I know because I had an MRI and two dentists looked at it and agreed it's not TMJ. There are many more symptoms of TMJ other than a random click. There's pain, inability to open wide, locking, etc.. I wish it were that easy but I am as certain as anyone can be that mine is age related hearing loss coupled with a lifetime of noise exposure.