TMJ Forum - TMJ and Ear Popping

Conditions and Diseases > TMJ Forum > TMJ and Ear Popping

Q: TMJ and Ear Popping

asked by: sistermimi on July 7th, 2009

New User

I was in a car accident over two years ago, and suffered a direct blow to my temple, resulting in a concussion and TMD on both sides. I went to a TMJ specialist and was given a heavy, awkward appliance that forced my jaw outward and kept me from biting down 100%. I wore it most hours of each day for over a year and also had physical therapy for over a year.

Through trial and error, I've found the best way to keep the pain at bay is staying active and continuing my PT exercises to keep my neck and upper back strong to support my head/jaw. I stopped using the appliance a year ago, and found that my muscles weren't as sore afterwards, and my jaw was less agitated. The only time my jaw bothered me at this point was during huge thunderstorms.

Nine months ago, my jaw began popping once or twice each morning.

Five months ago, my ears started feeling pressure, fullness, and pain and i could pop them at will. This symptom fluctuated with my TMJ pains and with the weather. I went to an ENT clinic and two doctors told me my hearing was above normal, my middle ear was fine, and since nothing was wrong with my ears, and I have no known allergies, this new ear issue was due to TMJ, and possibly a combo of TMJ and using qtips to clean out my ears. They couldn't tell me why this had abruptly started.

I've stopped using the qtips, and overall I've spent hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars on this problem, any further suggestions would help. I'm not sure how to remedy these new popping/ear symptoms, and it can hurt so badly sometimes, I'm sure if it continues that in 20 years I'll be a nutcase.

Replies(6)

sistermimi

replied on July 7th, 2009

New User

Oh, and also, I'd been using qtips for years before this problem arose, and I do not clench or grind my teeth. Thanks.

baseballguy

replied on July 9th, 2009

New User

What do you mean with popping in your ears? Do you mean that you have a sound in them when you swallow or move your head?

I read in another post by you that you had trouble speaking for five minutes. Can you speak better now?

Everybody uses qtips. TMJD is what caused your ear problems.

All your symptoms are common for someone who has trouble with the jaw joint. I have the same problems.

I would also like to know if your jaw pops when you use it.

I think it is a little strange that you feel better after having slept on your side. I have read a lot of recommendations that say that people with bad jaws should sleep on their back. But just do what works for you. I guess the most important thing is to not sleep on your stomach.

I had fullness in my ears for 6 months but that was a year ago and I have sounds in my ear when I swallow and move my head in certain ways. I also have some tinnitus. And my left ear is much worse than the right one and that is because my left disc is much worse. Like you I have done tests for my hearing and I had really good results even though I believed I would not.

And no you will not become a nutcase.

sistermimi

replied on August 4th, 2009

New User

The ear popping happens pretty constantly, whenever my ears feel pain and/or pressure; i 'pop' them, like you'd do on an airplane, I can do it consistently, every second. And I'm testing it now--my ears also pop when i swallow. The pressure gets better with clear weather, I figure it has something to do with the pressure systems. The popping is mostly the same in both ears, though it fluctuates sometimes--my right tmd is slightly worse than my left, because that's the side i was hit. i'm not sure if just my right disc slipped out or both... But no, my jaw doesn't usually pop--only once maybe in the morning when i first wake up. That is relatively new also.

Yes, I can speak better now, it did take me maybe a year to be able to speak without pain. And yeah, any weight or pressure on my jaw into my sockets, IE laying on my back, or being in a recliner, or really bad slumpy posture, that all irritates my tmd. So I sleep on my side all the time. I would imagine sleeping on your back keeps the jaw closed in the right spot though.

thanks for the non-nutcase support Smile

baseballguy

replied on August 5th, 2009

New User

I use to call what happens with the jaw discs popping, but I don’t have a good word for the sound in the ears in English. In Swedish we call it “knastra”.
For me the jaw popping is linked to the sounds in the ears. If the jaw pops a lot for a while I get more sounds in the ears and when the jaw don’t pop for a while my ears get better.
So maybe your ears will get better and better if your jaw pain don’t come back.

For me the popping is the exact opposite of what it is for you because it is better in the morning and worse in the evening. Because I rest my jaw when I sleep and then it is pretty fine when I wake up.

Maybe you should try sleeping on your back. I have read that you should do that everywhere. It seems like you are getting better so maybe that will make it even better.

mhuey13

replied on August 28th, 2009

New User

Same Problem Here

This is exactly what has happened to me. I've have just barely gone through the same experience sistermimi went through. I've been to every ENT known to man. I have the same symptoms with some tinnitus and about every minute or so my right ear has this annoying popping that is constantly noticeable. All the ENT's can't explain it and I've been on courses of prednisone and now about a million different anithistamine treatments. I've never had a runny nose with it. I've always thought that maybe I have TMJ, but this is making me definitely feel like i have this same issue. Have you found any relief since your last post?

baseballguy

replied on August 29th, 2009

New User

Hello mhuey13!

Sistermimi have written that she had jaw popping. Do you have any jaw popping? If you have it is very likely that you have TMJD.

What do you mean when you write that you have popping in one of your ears? Is it a crackling sound or something like that inside of the ear as if maybe you are outdoors in windy weather or are the jaw discs or stuff like that popping?

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