More Information About Tinnitus TMJ & Treatment
The connection between tinnitus and TMJ is just one explanation for what causes the problem. Other causes are identifiable damage to the inner ear hair cells, age-related hearing loss, exposure to loud noises, earwax blockage, and changes in the health of the bones in the middle ear. Less commonly, tinnitus is associated with Meniere’s disease, trauma to the head and neck region, and TMJ problems. For some people, however, the cause is never discovered.
The nerves that serve your jaw muscles and joints are also responsible for the function and tone of muscles that determine the size of your Eustachian tube and the tone of your tympanic membrane. Alterations in the function of these two structures can be responsible for tinnitus.
There is one specific ligament connecting your middle ear bone (the malleus) to your jawbone. When a TMJ problem changes the position of your lower jaw, the malleus can be altered in its function due to ligamentous traction, which can lead to tinnitus.
The main nerve supply from the jaw joint has been shown to have connections to parts of the brain involved with hearing and the interpretation of sound. If TMJ problems alter the function of this nerve, it’s quite possible that the brain will interpret normal sounds as abnormal, and patients will report tinnitus.
Because TMJ problems are often associated with neck problems, evaluations of the neck must also be part of an overall assessment. There is evidence that nerve endings in the neck make connections to the hearing centers of the brain. Ear symptoms, therefore, have been shown to emerge as a result of long-standing neck problems or those created by acute trauma.
TMJ Tinnitus Treatment In New York
If your doctor has not found a link between your tinnitus symptoms and any disease process, it may be time to assess your jaw and neck structures to see if you need TMJ tinnitus treatment. There may, indeed, be a connection between your tinnitus and TMJ problems.
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