Personally I know for a fact I have untreated TMJ and just went through a wicked bout of trigeminal neuralgia. At the same time I had new hearing loss in my good ear and some new insane tinnitus that sounded like it was radiating from the inside of my skull. Interestingly the local dentist adjusted one tooth and all the shenanigans stopped immediately. Maybe they're on to something?
Thanks for passing those videos on. Muscle tension in the jaw, and the neck as well, are indeed triggers of MD for some people. I found upper cervical adjustments and an anti-inflammatory diet to be very helpful in my own case. The combination of body imbalances, especially in the neck and jaw (which can actually originate from a postural problem starting lower down), and whole-body inflammation (from allergies, diet, food sensitivities) work together to make for trouble.
I've always been a little wary of the TMJD association with MD from extensive talks with neurotologists about it, but then anecdotes like this really turn my head back to it with interest. Could you go into a bit more about what was wrong with the one tooth and the dentist's adjustment? The trigeminal neuralgia link is also noteworthy to me as it's in the department of orofacial pain, which TMJ issues are as well. It's still difficult to speculate the connection between it and MD (many specialists deny a connection), but there are many threads on this forum of patients claiming their MD started after dental work.
Ha! My MD in my right ear started after some shoddy dental work that included an unnecessary root canal on one of my upper right teeth (found out after the fact). Not sure if it's just a coincidence or the culprit. I hear horror stories about dentists dinging that nerve and causing facial paralysis. Who knows what other terrible things are possible.... I'll give you the short version of what just happened; This past month I started having intense facial pain on my right side and one sore rear tooth that had a crown. I thought maybe the crown had gone bad or decay had started underneath it. While this was going on I got insanely loud tinnitus radiating from the center of my skull and I was having transient loss of low sounds in my good ear. It was terrifying. The tinnitus was full-tilt Meniere's attack loud. I was very nearly ready to ask for IT steroids. The entire side of my face was in agonizing pain and I couldn't chew on the right side. The dentist took a look and said everything was fine with the tooth but it needed adjustment. 5 minutes later I was adjusted, on my way home and skeptical. A few days later it was like none of it had ever happened. Face/jaw felt great, crazy new tinnitus was gone, hearing in my good ear went back to normal, teeth feel great and I could chew rocks and not care. Kinda blew my mind that such a tiny little tweak was all it took to sort out something that significant. 3 different ENTs offered me nothing but steroids, therapy and suggested acupuncture. The dentist actually fixed the problem. The running theory on what happened is this; I've been getting regular C1 and C2 upper cervical adjustments. My chiropractor went out of town and it had been a while since I'd been adjusted. When my neck is out of adjustment my teeth don't line up correctly. This made that crown on that one tooth contact the bottom teeth in a way that aggravated the nerve that sits just above it. The pain was causing me to grind my teeth throwing fuel on the fire. Adjust the tooth, stop aggravating the nerve, swelling goes away, problem solved. I still have TMJ (my jaw muscles are constantly sore) but the neuralgia nightmare has stopped. I made an appointment today to get the DTR done. If nothing else maybe it'll fix my TMD issues. If it actually helps my Meniere's it will be icing on the cake. After seeing what a tiny tweak on one tooth is capable of I feel like it's worth a try. I'll report back when it's done. Soonest they could get me in was 2nd week of June.
A side note, there is some thinking that one should never get a root canal (or a filling of amalgam because of the mercury). I had a root canal crack and get infected under the surface and decided to have it pulled. I was hoping the infected tooth removal would take away all MD symptoms but unfortunately, it didn't. However I am determined never to have either a root canal or a filling with mercury.
Temporomandibular Disorders: MedlinePlus What are the symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs)? The symptoms of TMDs may include: Pain in the chewing muscles and/or jaw joint. This is the most common symptom. Pain that spreads to the face or neck. Jaw stiffness. Limited movement or locking of the jaw. Painful clicking or popping in your jaw joint when you open or close your mouth. However, clicking or popping without pain is common and is not a sign of a TMD. Tinnitus (ringing in the ears), hearing loss, or dizziness. A change in the way the upper and lower teeth fit together.
When I got sick and looked for causes I saw this one too, but three different dentists told me that there was no scientific proof that it could really affect the ears, anyway all three examined me and told me that I didn't have TMJ. I'm not saying that it can't work for other people, you don't lose anything by trying it and besides, even if it doesn't work for the Meniere, it will be good for your health in general.
Here’s another data point for those that are interested. There’s a Facebook group dedicated to the connection between TMJD and Menieres. There are lots of people that had their TMJD treated and had all symptoms subside, even after many, many years with a Menieres diagnosis. One of the moderators had textbook Menieres for 25 years only to have the symptoms disappear with proper treatment of TMJD. I’ve had TMJ issues for years and decided to pursue fixing my problem and I can tell you I was shocked at what the specialist found. Normal temporomadibular joints are supposed to sit about 5mm from your ear. My X-rays showed zero space in my bad ear and 1mm in my good, but deteriorating ear. Am I onto something? Who knows, but that type of compression and the associated inflammatory response can’t be good for my ears.
This is certainly compelling. Do you have a link to the group? I'd love to check it out. Here's another compelling read; Meniere's Disease.
I'm also not sure why but some of my comments are 'awaiting moderator approval, and is invisible to normal visitors'. They don' seem to get approved.
Bummer, it's a private group and I don't belong to Facebook - but thanks for the link! Hopefully it helps somebody out.
I didn't realize the joint and the ear canal were actually touching. Why isn't TMJ ever considered/suggested by ENTs as a possible culprit? So frustrating.
Hi can you tell me what kind of specialist you went to who did the xrays for the temporomadibular joints? Thanks in advance
I went to an orthodontist that has devoted about 30 years of his career to diagnosing and treating TMJ disorders. There are many orthodontists, the challenge is finding someone experienced in TMJD. That said, they did three different types of imagery. Panograph - this is a 360 view that every dentist will do on a yearly basis. Tomogram - This is the main shot that showed the absence of a gap between the TMJ and my ear. Cephalograph - another source of imagery. If someone claims to be a TMJ specialist and only does a Pano, I'd look elsewhere because you need all three to truly see what might be going on. Of course, I did not come across one orthodontist that would do all of this for free as part of an initial consult. All that did a consult for free did a far less comprehensive evaluation. My orthodontist and his team spent 5 hours with me. Yes, 5 hours. From imaging, case history, an evaluation of my symptoms, to taking molds for my Gelb splint and my night appliance that's designed to pull my lower jaw forward when I grind my teeth in my sleep.
Expensive yes, but pretty normal for dental work. I’m in Canada, but in USD it was about $500 for the assessment including all X-rays. For the Gelb splint, the night time orthotic, and monthly check ups and adjustments over a 6 month period was about $3800. This is only the beginning though, because if it works they need to move some teeth. But health is wealth right? Don’t we all know that. I can only dream of my life if this helps.