Sheila's Symptoms & Condition

She reports that she has had tinnitus (ringing in the ears) for over five years.

She reports no symptoms of TMD, no pain but the ringing.

She has an extensive medication history and is constantly on celebrex for her pain; this most likely masks any TMD symptoms as it’s an anti-inflammatory that reduces many of the problems TMD induces.

 Two years ago she had a bridge placed on the lower left and a crown on the lower right.

Sheila's SolutionAfter an examination and panoramic radiograph and a T Scan assessment, we discussed TMD and how the ringing is affected by the bite forces; in her case the T Scan showed significant imbalance with the heaviest forces on the right side.  We discussed how this impacts the joint, inflammation, and the auditory region including the ear canal and auditory nerve.  She agreed to a set of sessions for an occlusal adjustment using the T Scan’s baseline and progress analysis to guide the process.  After undergoing a few sessions the ringing in her ears was significantly reduced; so much so that once it was she became aware that she was also experiencing head and neck pain from grinding and clenching.  We fabricated an orthotic which relieved those symptoms by reinforcing and supporting the more balanced bite forces that the occlusal adjustment began.