OT: Tinnitus and ultrasonic toothbrush

OK guys, this is way OT...but may apply to many of us.

First, the recent history: My next to last visit to the dentist, about 8 months ago, they suggested I obtain the most popular version of an ultrasonic toothbrush. I did so. Starting maybe 2 months ago, I noticed my tinnitus that I've had for a long time seems to be getting worse.

It occurred to me there might be a connection--and, sure enough, there are a lot of anecdotes on the internet about ultrasonic tooth cleaning and hearing problems. Even some real horror stories. So, I'm going to put the ultrasonic away for a few weeks and brush the old fashioned way and see what happens. Maybe nothing, because tinnitus means nerve damage--and it rarely gets better with time and age.

The result of 35 years of employment in a high-noise environment, where the first few years were in the era where you were a sissy if you wore ear plugs.

I've never used an ultrasonic toothbrush, though I do have tinnitus. Very annoying.

Phillips Sonicare is one

BTW, there might be hope to the ringing in the ears:

Bimodal neuromodulation combining sound and tongue stimulation reduces tinnitus symptoms in a large randomized clinical study

https://stm.sciencemag.org/content/12/564/eabb2830

Djin, I don't want to get into a semantic battle. I note, in my case, an apparent correlation between the sonicare and tinnitus. I'm going to run a test for a week or two and see what happens. It's interesting to note the specific distinction between 'sonic' and 'ultrasonic'--but in reality, it appears to me that the high frequency vibration from the sonicare to the (particularly) upper jaw does possibly affect my hearing (and it makes sense to me that it might).

Vince, I spent 36 years working in coal fired power generation. From high pressure steam noise to constant 60 cycle rumble.....it has an effect. I sometimes say I'm deaf in one ear, can't hear with the other one, I've crawled through one too many manholes into weirdly shaped tight spaces, and my lungs are full of flyash and coal dust. And I have PCa.

My wife and I both suffer from it. For me it comes and goes and is probably from my blood pressure. I also understand certain pain relievers can cause it. For years I popped a morning Aleve for joint pain and finally my doc said to stop as it could contribute to high blood pressure and the ringing. I haven’t seen any relief since stopping a couple of years ago. Also use a Phillips toothbrush.

I started using an electric toothbrush about a year ago.
But my tinnitus has gotten much worse.
It used to be I could only hear it in a quiet room.
Now, I hear it all the time, regardless of background noise.
Sounds like cicadas in KS in the summer time.
I don't know the brand I'll check tonight.

The reference to the sound of cicadas (looking for love) is very real for me as well.
Thanks for the reference; I may use it the next time I visit an audiologist.

After reading this thread, I am pretty sure that PCa causes tinnitus or tinnitus is a symptom of PCa. If your ears ring, get your PSA checked (women can skip this part)

I have a little tinnitus also for the same reasons as everyone else except the sonic toothbrush. Safety protection did not really get into full speed until after the days I lived and worked in a loud and dusty environment (construction). Too many indoor rock concerts probably did not help either.

VinceInMT said...
BTW, there might be hope to the ringing in the ears:

Bimodal neuromodulation combining sound and tongue stimulation reduces tinnitus symptoms in a large randomized clinical study

https://stm.sciencemag.org/content/12/564/eabb2830

Thank goodness! I hope it is true and soon available!

Google says about 30% of us over the age of 60 have tinnitus. ☹️ Mine started well before that.

Hi all. I realize this is a very old thread. But I wanted to share something. I was concerned about tinnitus in only one ear that resulted from using the sonicare toothbrush and found this thread circa 2017. It took quite a while to realize the toothbrush was the cause. But eventually I went back to a regular toothbrush and the tinnitus went from a 6 down to a 1. about four years later, I woke up one morning with profound hearing loss in that same ear and severe vertigo. That eventually went away, but an MRI revealed a benign tumor called an acoustic neuroma. The tumor is very rare (1 in 100,000) and has a few treatment options. I had it removed and I have recovered fully except for loss of hearing in the affected ear. You would never know I had a brain surgery unless you noticed the scar. I am not trying to frighten any of you. But I want to urge any of y'all who have tinnitus in only one ear to tell your doctor about it. You will need to get an MRI with contrast. Outcomes tend to be better if detected earlier. Please reply or DM me if you would like to chat about it.

Dave

I hate reading a thread and then find out it isn't current.... Then again, it'd be interesting to hear how Halbert's test went.

Between the fact that I went to a lot of Rock Concerts in my younger years and my passion for firearms in older years, I'm surprised my hearing appears to be OK.

The last concert I went to was just a few years ago at a Casino... Went to see the Wilson sisters and their band called Heart.... We thought it was too cool to sit 3 rows from the stage... But we were on the side right in front of the speakers. I had all sorts of issues for a week but survived.