I have had tinnitus for many years and it hasn't really bothered me too much as I only generally hear it if I'm sat in silence. But recently it has gotten louder and is much more noticeable. Then just this week my normally very high pitched ring has started to sync with my heart beat like pulsatile tinnitus. Never had this before. It's not constant but I notice it a few times per day pulsing with my heart. Most of the time it's just a regular high pitched ringing.
I am currently waiting on an appointment at Bristol Dental Hospital (I'm on a waiting list) for investigation of a lesion under my lower left wisdom tooth. My regular dentist says it's either a really bad infection which has been there for months or a cyst. It's apparently very close to the nerve that runs along the jaw and because of this an treatment could be more complicated, hence why I've been referred to the hospital.
My new louder tinnitus and the high pitched tone in sync with my heartbeat is in the left ear, so it's the same side. Also I feel as though me teeth are higher up on that side so I can't bite down properly. Possible TMJ?
Could this tooth issue be causing the tinnitus?
Written by
Baby_Lou44
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Hi. It's very possible the 2 could be connected. The nerves in that area are so sensitive - hence why toothache is so awful - and any referred pain could be aggravating your tinnitus. I hope you get an early appointment. However, if you can, see if you can get a private consultation and tests and then go back to the NHS for any treatment you may need. At least you'd be a bit further forward. Good luck. Please keep us posted x
The first time I experienced T was a few days after my dentist had fitted a deep filling in a tooth on the top right side of my mouth with the ringing in my right ear, on a further visit for a check up I asked him if it was possible that the dental work had caused the T, he stated that he had never heard of this happening before, however when I crossed paths with a retired dentist who I used to play rugby with, I mentioned this to him and he said he had although it was fairly rare, but not unknown for it to happen. I have since had the tooth removed, but the T remains.
Impact of Temporomandibular Joint Complaints on Tinnitus-Related Distress, Niklas K. Edvall (2019)
From the abstract... "There is increasing evidence of associations between the presence of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders and tinnitus. It has been recently proposed that tinnitus patients with TMJ complaints could constitute a subtype, meaning a subgroup of tinnitus patients responsive to specific treatments...The prevalence of TMJ complaints was greater in tinnitus subjects with severe tinnitus (36%) when compared to those with any tinnitus (19%), strongly indicating the contribution of TMJ problems to the severity of tinnitus... We hypothesize that stress could contribute to the co-occurrence of TMJ problems and tinnitus and also to the development of severe tinnitus. Our study supports the need of involving dental care and stress management in the holistic treatment of patients with severe tinnitus."
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