Ear pain, Ringing, Congestion

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Ear Pain, Ringing, Congestion

Ring-a-ding-ding (what’s that noise in my ears?)

Why do your ears seem to be giving you so much trouble, yet your doctor has never found a problem? You explain your symptoms, your doctor shines a light, takes a look around and indicates nothing is wrong. Still, you know that ringing sound is real and you know you are occasionally hit with waves of dizziness so strong you are forced to hold on to something.

Ear congestion, persistent earaches, dizziness, vertigo, ringing or whistling in the ears. . . . these can all be traced back to TMJ.

Technically (and medically) here’s what is going on:
The over-activity of your jaw can make your ear canal sensitive and can result in a multitude of symptoms.

Your ear has two important muscles: the tensor tympani (it attaches to the ear drum, stabilizing it from the excess vibration caused by loud sounds) and the tensor levi palatini (it attaches to the Eustachian tube helping to equalizing pressure within the inner ear…it is what “unplugs” your ears when you chew gum or suck a hard candy in an airplane).

Because of jaw misalignment and the over compensation of these muscles, it can lead to a multitude of symptoms related to your ears. These symptoms are the result of having a strained bite when the jaw is not aligned.

The jaw area is a complex network of muscles and nerves. When the bite is misaligned – muscles and nerves throughout the head, including the ears, can be affected. The most common and obvious effect is persistent ringing or whistling in the ears. It can also lead to:

dizziness
vertigo
ear pain or discomfort (earaches)
impaired or restricted hearing
congested or stuffy feeling in your ears
sinus pain

By stabilizing and realigning your jaw, your bite will be restored to its normal position, relieving the problems in your ears caused by the misaligned bite.

Dr. Hill can relieve the discomfort and stabilize your jaw so that you can live comfortably.