Dentistry specialists have been warning about the sale of dental appliances designed to achieve perfect teeth for a long time. Some aligners that They are used without the prescription and necessary control by a dentistor with minimal initial intervention – limited to a digital scan and therefore completely insufficient, and which can cause serious problems for those who use them.
We are talking about affectation of the temporomandibular joint, causing pain, tooth pain, increased sensitivity, gingivitis, and even .
But to all this we must add one more risk that is appearing in dentists’ offices because of these aligners and that is tinnitus.
Tinnitus, also called tinnitus, is a noise that a person perceives without there really being a sound signal that produces it. A sound that often resembles a beep. A continuous beep inside the head, with how annoying it can be.
The origin of tinnitus can be found in the entire extension of the auditory pathway and there can be many causes that generate it.
In fact, according to experts, it is increasingly common for patients to consult for tinnitus whose appearance is related to the jaw and changes in the bite caused by the use of dental aligners without a medical prescription.
When oral problems cause tinnitus
“The oral and auditory apparatus are closely related, so any intervention in the mouth can have repercussions on the ears and generate tinnitus. In fact, treatments such as invisible orthodontics that are not prescribed by a specialist can cause them since the patient’s bite is modified and can lead to a dental malocclusion,” says Dr. Isabel Cardoso, otolaryngologist at Vithas International and head of the Tinnitus Unit. .
The tensions generated by dental malocclusion in the facial muscles also affect those of the ear. “Increased jaw pressure can ‘cascade’ repercussions on other functions of the temporal bone and on other structures corresponding to the head/neck anatomophysiology that unbalance it, producing tinnitus and a sensation of being blocked,” explains Dr. Julio Ampuero, responsible of the
How is this type of tinnitus treated?
The treatment for tinnitus will always depend on the cause that is producing it. So the main thing is to carry out a complete evaluation in order to find the origin of the tinnitus and, thus, proceed to its treatment.
It can also improve night rest or mood, palpating the anxiety that many of these patients suffer
On some occasions, the therapy will be aimed at “improving the antioxidant conditions of the inner ear to avoid the worsening of the symptoms”, using substances such as ginkgo biloba and trace elements for this purpose, “Dr. Cardoso explains to this portal.
“It can also improve night rest or mood, palpating the anxiety suffered by many of these patients”, and which may be the origin of tinnitus.
In other cases, it will be necessary to resort to surgery in order to “restore the anatomy or function of an ear that may present middle lesions, such as otosclerosis or tubal distinction, although it can rarely be applied to disorders that affect the inner ear.” ”, adds the otolaryngologist.
In cases in which the patient has a hearing loss, “it is always recommended to improve auditory perception with the use of hearing aids, or by applying sound stimulation therapies that redirect the perception of tinnitus in the brain, preventing it from interpreting them as a signal of discomfort”.
Finally, when the origin of the tinnitus is in the muscles or joints of the head and neck, as can occur in the case of the non-prescribed use of a dental aligner, “the use of rehabilitation and physiotherapy techniques that repair the discomfort that originate it usually generates great relief in the symptoms”.
This type of hearing discomfort requires for its treatment, a multidisciplinary team of physiotherapists, psychologists, speech therapists and otorhinolaryngologists whose objective is to identify the behaviors by which tinnitus is triggered.
In addition, there are new therapies, such as Ototech, used by specialists in otorhinolaryngology at Vithas Internacional, consisting of, through a low intensity electric current in the mastoid area, producing changes in the patient’s inner ear with the purpose of correcting those function defects that produce tinnitus.
In any case, this type of hearing discomfort requires for its treatment, a multidisciplinary team of physiotherapists, psychologists, speech therapists and otorhinolaryngologists whose objective is to identify the behaviors that trigger tinnitus and work on its resolution.