Hello all.

Every time I swallow or yawn big I hear crackling noises in both ears. This has been happening consistently for several years now. The only time the noises go away is when I'm congested with a cold, which occurs maybe once a year. My hearing is otherwise fine.

Based on my research on these boards and elsewhere this seems to point to a Eustachian tube problem. I saw an ENT earlier in the year but he found nothing wrong. Is this the type of issue that an ENT should be able to diagnose based on a routine exam?

The one (perhaps) complicating factor is the fact that I've also been dealing with chronic TMJ/TMD pain for almost a decade. There is apparently no joint damage, but I deal with constant, muscle-related facial pain. Could the TMD and Eustachian tube noises be related?