Better Nutrition July 2020

Photo: adobestock.com
QI have developed
an annoying
ringing in my
ears. I have seen a few
doctors without success.
The gist of the advice
I’ve been given so far
is, “Learn to live with
it.” Is there really
nothing else I can do?
Tinnitus is any sound that someone
perceives when there is no outside source
for the sound. The noises can be soft,
loud, ringing, blowing, roaring, buzzing,
hissing, humming, whistling, or even
sizzling. This mystery of perceived sound,
without an obvious source, has puzzled
medical scientists for hundreds of years.
Tinnitus affects over 50 million
Americans according to the American
Tinnitus Association (ata.org). Of these,
2 million are so debilitated by the
condition they cannot function at a
normal level on a day-to-day basis. It
is, unfortunately, a substantial cause
of suicide. The association also states,
“Currently there is no cure.”
But, the news is not all grim. I spoke
with Ronald L. Rosenthal, DDS, who
published, as part of a larger body of
work on headaches and migraines, a
paper entitled, “Is Tinnitus Messing
with Your Head?” Dr. Rosenthal has
spent more than 40 years teaching
about head, neck, and facial pain to
dental students.
Many causes of tinnitus have been
proposed in the popular and medical
literature including stress, smoking,
hearing loss, earwax build-up, high
blood pressure, exposure to loud noises,
excessive coffee drinking, damage to the
hearing center of the brain, and more.
Treatments have been proposed
(including by me, in this
magazine) such as acupuncture,
high-dose Ginkgo biloba
(240mg daily), earwax removal,
and hearing aids that provide
white noise, some of which may help.
Dr. Rosenthal emphatically states that
these treatments may help the symptoms
of tinnitus, but they are less than fully
successful because they do not treat
the cause.
The Real Cause of Tinnitus
Dr. Rosenthal’s explanation of the
root cause of tinnitus involves the
structure of the temporomandibular
joint (TMJ), which, under stress, causes
a slight chronic jaw dislocation, leading
to a vibration in the inner ear that
is perceived as noise. He is a strong
proponent of an orthodontic technique
called “selective grinding,” which
micro- adjusts the back teeth surfaces
to perfect the bite closure without
pain or distortion.
I also spoke with
an orthodontist
in my local
community who
was aware of
Dr. Rosenthal’s work,
mostly from the 1970s
during his tenure at the
University of Kentucky (a
leading research center in
the diagnosis and management
of oral and facial pain). In more
recent years, so-called subtractive
dentistry (removing teeth whole,
or even grinding down parts of the
enamel) fell out of favor—because once
gone, these structures can never be
authentically replaced. Mouthguards
(I favor the tiny NTI
devices that fit over
the front 2 teeth) are
another approach to
helping the jaw stay
in a relaxed position,
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without unconsciously going into a
clenching or grinding mode. [Editor’s
note: Visit nationaldentex.com for more
information on the NTI mouthguard.]
Dental Issues
If you or a friend suffers from tinnitus,
and you have not considered a correlation
with your dental alignment, take this
possibility to your dentist. It’s very easy
to see the effect of grinding: Your molar
surfaces look worn down.
And while on the topic of oral
health, I want to shout out for excellent
dental hygiene. All sorts of weird bugs
can grow in the mouth, and there is a
well-established correlation between
an unhealthy microbiome in the mouth
and cognitive decline. Yes, it’s true!
People with poor oral hygiene (and
poor diets) are putting themselves
at greater risk for dementia and
Alzheimer’s disease.
I’m a fan of using xylitolinfused
toothpastes and
mouthwashes, as they help
mop up bad bugs in the
mouth. And studies show
that using xylitol gum
reduces ear infections,
sinus infections, and
dementia. Having
said that, some
people find that
chewing gum
makes their
tinnitus worse, so
pay attention to
what your body
tells you, and
react accordingly.
JULY 2020 • 23