Can TMJ cause ringing in the ears?

Maybe the ringing started around the time your jaw began to ache, or it gets louder on days when you clench.

You are in good company, because tinnitus turns up remarkably often in people who have jaw problems. When the jaw plays a part, you have something you can test and work on yourself.

In short

TMJ disorders and tinnitus appear together far more often than chance would suggest. In a Swedish review of 22 studies, a median of 42% of people with jaw joint and muscle disorders had tinnitus, against 12% of people without them (Skog et al., 2019). That the jaw directly causes the ringing has not been proven.

• If clenching, moving your jaw or pressing on your jaw muscles changes the sound, that is a strong clue your jaw or neck is feeding into it, though it is not proof on its own.
• Splints combined with jaw exercises and physiotherapy can lower how loud and bothersome tinnitus feels, although the studies are small.
• Have your ears and hearing checked before you put the ringing down to your jaw.

Is tinnitus really linked to TMJ problems?

The Swedish review's figures come from 13,358 people with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and 33,876 controls, and tinnitus rates in the TMD groups ranged from 3.7% to 70% between studies (Skog et al., 2019). A Spanish review that only used studies with standardized TMD diagnostic criteria found tinnitus in 36% to 61% of people with TMD, against 10% to 26% of people without it, although it rested on just five studies (Mottaghi et al., 2019).

In the other direction, a 2026 meta-analysis of 34 studies with 47,349 participants estimated that 63% of people in tinnitus studies had a TMD, while about 32% of people with TMD had tinnitus (Alghamdi et al., 2026).

These are observational studies, which record what occurs together without showing what came first. The 2026 review's authors point to large differences between studies and heavy reliance on self-reported tinnitus, and state that causality cannot be inferred (Alghamdi et al., 2026).

How can a jaw problem make your ears ring?

The American Tinnitus Association notes that the jaw joint sits right next to the hearing system and shares some ligaments and nerve connections with structures in the middle ear (American Tinnitus Association).

Input from the head and neck, including a branch of the trigeminal nerve, reaches the dorsal cochlear nucleus, an early relay station of the hearing pathway. A scoping review calls altered activity there the best-supported explanation for why touch or movement can change the sound, though much of this work comes from animal studies (Haider et al., 2017).

Specialists call this somatosensory tinnitus. The US hearing research institute NIDCD describes it as tinnitus that appears or changes when you move your head, neck or eyes or touch certain parts of your body, and it lists jaw clenching and tooth grinding among the problems that can cause or worsen tinnitus (NIDCD, 2023).

How can you tell whether your jaw is involved?

An international expert panel agreed on signs that, when present, strongly suggest the body is influencing someone's tinnitus. Nobody has to have all of them, and somatosensory tinnitus can exist even when movement does not change the sound (Michiels et al., 2018). Check these against your own experience:

• Moving your jaw, head or neck makes the sound louder, quieter or different.
• Pressing on tender spots in your jaw or neck muscles changes it.
• The tinnitus and your jaw or neck pain started at the same time, or they flare up together.
• The pitch, loudness or location of the sound varies.
• You clench or grind your teeth.
• The ringing is in one ear and your hearing test does not explain why.

The same panel warned that relying on movement tests alone can lead to overdiagnosis (Michiels et al., 2018).

Try it: the clench-and-listen check

I use a version of this early in an assessment when someone's ears ring and their jaw is sore. You need a quiet room and something to take notes.

1. Sit upright, listen to your tinnitus for half a minute and give its loudness a score out of ten.
2. Bite your back teeth together firmly for five seconds, then let go and listen again.
3. Slide your lower jaw forward as far as feels comfortable and hold it for five seconds.
4. Open your mouth wide, pause briefly, then close it slowly.
5. Push your jaw sideways into your palm without letting it move, first right, then left.
6. Press your forehead into your hand for five seconds, then the back of your head.
7. Press two fingers for five seconds on the thick chewing muscle at the angle of your jaw.

After each step, note whether the sound changed in loudness, pitch or location. If it did, take your notes to your appointment. If nothing changes, your jaw is still not ruled out, since none of the signs has to be present in every person (Michiels et al., 2018).

Stop any step that hurts. Run the check once or twice rather than every day, since the NHS warns that focusing on tinnitus can make it worse (NHS). If someone's sound changes during the check, I go on to examine their chewing muscles, jaw joint and upper neck more closely.

Does treating your jaw make the ringing quieter?

It can help, although the studies are small. A systematic review of 11 studies found a positive effect of conservative TMD treatment on tinnitus. Splint therapy combined with exercises was the best-studied approach and showed a drop in tinnitus severity and intensity. The authors rated the evidence as low quality because of a high risk of bias, while noting that every included study reported a positive effect (Michiels et al., 2019).

In a Madrid trial, 61 people with tinnitus attributed to TMD all had six physiotherapy sessions over a month with jaw and neck exercises, self-massage and education. The group that also received manual therapy to the jaw and neck did better on jaw pain and tinnitus severity, with follow-up to six months (Delgado de la Serna et al., 2020).

In Antwerp, 80 people with jaw-related somatosensory tinnitus received physical therapy, plus a splint if they ground their teeth. On one tinnitus questionnaire, those who started straight away improved more than those who waited, by a margin large enough to matter clinically, while a second questionnaire showed no clinically relevant change (Van der Wal et al., 2020).

None of these studies promises that the ringing will disappear, so a realistic goal is a sound that is quieter and bothers you less. NIDCD also names sound therapy and behavioral therapies as common ways to reduce its impact (NIDCD, 2023).

In the moment

When you catch yourself clenching, let your jaw rest with your lips lightly together, teeth slightly apart and the tip of your tongue just behind your upper front teeth. The NHS suggests deep breathing and avoiding total silence, as soft background sound can distract you from the tinnitus (NHS).

Long term

The five-minute daily routine I give people is my own clinic selection and does not replace the hands-on manual therapy used in the Madrid trial.

• Jaw muscle massage: Make small, slow circles with your fingertips over the cheek muscle and the temple for about a minute on each side, staying within what feels comfortable.
• Controlled opening: Keep your tongue on the roof of your mouth and open and close slowly ten times, checking in a mirror that your jaw stays straight.
• Neck release: Tuck your chin gently as if nodding yes, ten times, then turn your head slowly to each side.

In my experience, regular practice matters more than perfect form. Find more ideas on our TMJ exercises page.

How JawBuddy helps

JawBuddy is a digital companion for guided jaw exercises and self-management. It helps you fit short jaw routines like the ones above into ordinary days.

It does not replace emergency care or an individual diagnosis from a qualified healthcare professional. If you clench or grind, read our pages on teeth grinding and the night guard alternative.

When should you see a doctor?

Persistent tinnitus deserves an ear check before anyone looks at your jaw. Your GP or primary care doctor will look in your ears for treatable causes such as earwax or an infection, and may check your hearing or refer you on (NHS). If your jaw seems involved, a dentist or other oral health professional can assess the joint (American Tinnitus Association).

Call 999 or 911, or go to A&E or the ER, if any of these apply, and do not drive yourself (NHS).

• Your tinnitus started after a head injury.
• You have tinnitus together with sudden hearing loss, weakness in the muscles of your face or a spinning sensation (vertigo).

If the noise has you thinking about suicide or harming yourself, get help now by calling 999 or 911, or a crisis line such as Samaritans (116 123) in the UK or 988 in the US. UK guidance treats this as a reason for immediate referral to a mental health crisis team (NICE, 2020).

Ask for an urgent appointment with your doctor if your tinnitus beats in time with your pulse (NHS). UK guidance recommends offering imaging to people with this pulsing kind of tinnitus (NICE, 2020). Book a routine appointment soon if your tinnitus is regular or constant, is getting worse, or is affecting your sleep, concentration or mood (NHS). Ringing that stays in one ear should always be checked by your doctor, even if your jaw seems involved, because UK guidance suggests specialist referral and sometimes a scan for it (NICE, 2020).

On the jaw side, seek help straight away if your jaw locks open or shut or barely moves after a blow to the face, or if fever comes with facial swelling. For a wider look at jaw symptoms, see our page on jaw pain, and if you also feel off balance, read Can TMJ cause dizziness?

You can do something about the noise

Get your ears and hearing checked first, then give a regular jaw routine a few weeks. For the full background on jaw joint problems, our TMJ disorder guide is the best place to go next.