EAR PAIN is often a sign of a TMJ problem
Ear symptoms are very common in patients with TMJ disorders. Patients will often present with aching pain, ringing, itching, clogging and even burning pain from their ears. The ENT Specialist is very knowledgeable in determining if the cause of the pain is directly coming from the ear. The ENT physician can also recognize if the ear symptoms come from a Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD) and often refer patients for a TMD evaluation if the doctor cannot determine the source for the ear pain.
Therefore the ear symptoms that are not caused by an infection or direct ear pathology can be caused by either a dysfunction within the upper cervical spine, the TMJ or dysregulation of the nervous system. This would involve the cervical nerves, trigeminal nerves, or in chronic cases, the sympathetic nervous system.