Hi all - first time posting to a board, so hope I've done this right. On Feb. 10, my dentist gave me a night-time bite splint for TMJ disorder. I'm new to all of this, so I'm not sure exactly what you call the type of splint I received , but it's small, fits only on my two front teeth and prevents my upper and lower teeth from touching when I close my mouth. When I started using the splint, I began to experience a "fogginess" in my head, which I then attributed to the fact that I had just quit smoking and wasn't getting my usual nicotine fix. After about a month of using the splint, I began to notice that my TMJ symptoms seemed to worsen. My headaches have become more intense, my entire face and skull seem to CONSTANTLY "burn", my neck, back and shoulders ache all of the time, and my teeth and jaw are killing me. To top it all off, last night, my left ear suddenly became "blocked", and in it I began hearing a very intense ringing, accompanied by mild pain. It has been about 24 hours, my ear is still clogged, the ringing will not stop, and I can hear nothing out of that ear. I have tried cleaning the ear out twice today with a basic ear cleaning kit, with no improvement and no sign of a wax build-up.
I have read through some of the board's posts, and the information has been very, very helpful, but I am wondering if anyone out there has experienced such a sudden congestion or loss of hearing in the ear combined with intense tinnitus as a result of TMJ disorder? I am a little concerned by this, and anyone's input would be greatly appreciated. I plan on calling my dentist first thing in the morning, but I would like to hear from others who may have experienced the same thing. Thank you all for your time and patience.