Ear fullness/pain due to clenching ?

[Dubbmented]

On top of everything else that's going on with me.. I've been dealing with another problem for so long now.

I've been round and round with Doctors, who say my ears look fine, have been given a nasal spray from one Dr who suspected Sinus problems, no luck.

I finally mentioned it to my Dentist, and he suspects TMJ and clenching/grinding in my sleep due to stress. He says the clenching can cause this Ear fullness and pain. and has suggested a mouth guard.

The only problem is, these guards to get molded and fitted to my mouth is ridiculously expensive.. and If it is not the root of this ear problem, I don't want to bother with it.

I can feel pain in that ditch right behind our earlobes, that's where I can feel this 'fullness' like inside the Eustachian tube.. and I'm constantly holding my nose and clearing my ears, but that only helps temporarily.

Can anyone relate? Shed some light on this? (I've had numerous jaw x-rays to rule out anything serious.)

[Annie0904]

I get earache when my anxiety is worse. My doctor said it was to do with the rush of blood with high anxiety. A few years ago I was getting terrible headaches and my dentist told me it is because I have an 'undershot jaw' I was given a mouth guard to wear and it improved. Now I try to hold my jaw in a different position to decrease the headaches.

[Dubbmented]

That's interesting, never though of that as a cause..

I've had plenty ear aches in the past as a kid and this feels different though.
This feels more inside the tubes, like a blockage.

But dentist assumes, it's actually my jaw being overworked by stress. Meh.

Guess it's just one of things that might never get diagnosed..

[semper solus]

Hi

I to had a blocked feeling in one of my ears which was driving me nuts. I would get dizziness and the feeling of being of balance. it went from that to every time i opened and closed my mouth I could hear a crunching in my ear. After seeing the doctor I was sent to see a maxilofacial surgeon who told me because I grind my teeth I had worn some bone away right where the cartlige is on your jaw next to the ear. I had to have keyhole surgery to remove the debris. After the surgery was done everything seemed fine for a while. Then the blocked ear and dizziness came back so I was referenced to an ENT consultant, he sat me down asked me loads of questions and said would you mind If I do an endoscopy up your nose. I had that done and he said it looks like you have Eustachian tube dysfunction! I would suggest going to see an ENT consultant for an endoscopy to have a look at your tubes

[Dubbmented]

Thanks for the reply semper_souls..

I might look into an ENT then, that's interesting they thought it was the same cause as mine at first.. Did you problem come and go ? Or was it constant.. I find mines comes and goes in waves.. sometimes not at all, sometimes mild, sometimes severe..

May I ask, are you doing anything for it ? Medicines? Surgery?

One thing I've noticed that helps, is when my partner gives me a massage on the pressure points on the Jaw.. So no idea if that indicates if it is indeed due to clenching. or ETD like you have mentioned..

Will look into it with my Dr some more, if this fullness persists.

[semper solus]

Hiya

The problem with my tubes does come and go in waves, as you say sometimes mild sometime quite bad then I could go weeks without and problems then the dizziness and balance problem will rear it's head again. I don't take ant meds I only use nasal spray but that's not much good really. I think stress plays a big part in it. What you have to remember is if you do grind your teeth it will affect your ears as all the muscles are very close together and in turn could play havoc with your Eustachian tube as it becomes inflamed. I do grind my teeth at night so I did have a bite guard but it didn't do much for me though. I guess it''s a process of elimination, I would try and see an ENT consultant. you don't want to waste any money on a bite guard if that is not the problem.

[ecila92]

I get ear fullness and pain too (pains at night which is strange) doctors have checked my ears and say its nothing. I think it could be wax but ear fullness (funnily enough) is a symptom of anxiety. Also I do clench my jaw, this is a recent thing I cant stop and I've noticed ringing in ears and a 2-5 second deafness thing? No idea, doctor isn't listening to my complaints anymore!

[semper solus]

Hi ecila92

Can I ask do you have balance problems? also the ringing in the ears is it high or low pitched

Nick