Almost every person has had a headache at least once in their life, which had a different localization. If these pain sensations are observed over a long period and even intensify over time, then you need to contact a specialist - a neurologist, and undergo a thorough examination. This situation may indicate the development of some serious pathology.
If a patient has a headache in the left temple, this can reduce his performance and lead to a deterioration in his health. Painful sensations can be of a different nature, which will indicate the cause of this deviation:
1. The sensations are: constant, sharp, bursting, burning and others.
2. According to the period of manifestation, they are distinguished: episodic, periodic, chronic.
3. Intensity ranges from minor discomfort to strong sensations.
How to treat the disease and what can be done at home
Analgesics will help eliminate acute pain, but taking them will not solve the problem, but will only delay the recurrence of the symptom.
You can take the following drugs: Analgin, Ketanov, Dimexide, Dolaren. In addition to drug treatment, the use of folk remedies is indicated, for example, for dental diseases, you can rinse your mouth with a soda solution (1 teaspoon of soda per 1 glass of water), and for inflammation, apply warm (not hot) compresses with chamomile to the affected area. But before using any folk remedy, you need to consult a doctor, since pain in the jaw may indicate a very serious pathology, the improper treatment of which can lead not only to complications, but also to death.
Treatment options at the clinic:
- Dislocation. The specialist will straighten the jaw and apply a fixing bandage.
- Injury. The doctor will order an x-ray to rule out a fracture and apply a bandage.
- Fracture. Splinting, intermaxillary fixation or osteosynthesis with titanium plates (for an open fracture) are performed.
- Osteomyelitis. The dentist removes the diseased tooth, opens the purulent lesions and prescribes drug therapy.
- TMJ dysfunction. Treatment for patients who have pain in the jaw joint near the ear does not involve surgery. This pathology can be effectively treated using electrical impulses. For this, a special device is used - a myostimulator. One therapeutic procedure lasts about 40 minutes. In addition, medications, massage and other measures are prescribed at the discretion of the doctor.
- Diseases of the ENT organs. Therapy is carried out using antiviral, painkillers, and antiseptic drugs.
- Inflammation of the joint sac, dental nerve, neuralgia. Rubbing, drug therapy, and applying compresses to the problem area are indicated. The dental nerve is usually removed and the canals are filled.
Only a doctor can determine the true cause of the pain syndrome and prescribe appropriate treatment. Theoretical knowledge about the possible causes and signs of diseases that provoke uncomfortable pain can only help the patient correctly determine which doctor to go to.
Useful video on how to relieve a pain attack and what to do if your jaw hurts near your ear:
Source
What to do if an adult has ear pain
If you have ear pain for a long time and other symptoms occur, consult your doctor immediately. Do not try to determine the cause of the pain and do not self-medicate.
To eliminate pain in an adult, ear drops are used. When treating infectious diseases, drops with anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects are prescribed.
If the reason lies in a sulfur plug or a foreign body, they are removed on an outpatient basis.
Do not remove foreign objects from the auricle yourself, as you may damage parts of the ear.
How to treat headaches with ear pain?
To relieve attacks of cephalalgia at home, use painkillers - analgesics, antispasmodics and NSAIDs.
Symptomatic therapy also includes prescribed medications - for high blood pressure, to relieve swelling, to drain purulent exudate, to improve general well-being, and others.
You will learn more about ear pain in the following video:
Why can toothache radiate to the ear?
Next to the ear canals is the root system of the teeth of the upper jaw, so ear pain is often caused by dental diseases
When a tooth and ear hurt at the same time, it is important to correctly understand and analyze the cause of the pain. To do this, you need to seek medical help in time.
Based on the characteristic symptoms, doctors determine the sources of pain and select a treatment method.
Wisdom tooth eruption
In dentistry, wisdom teeth are considered vestigial organs due to the fact that in the process of evolution their purpose has been simplified - changing the diet and reducing the consumption of hard and solid foods. Nevertheless, in modern humans they continue to erupt.
Everyone's wisdom teeth grow differently: some suffer from unbearable pain, while others experience no discomfort at all. The teething process can take a long time. This is often due to the fact that there is not enough space on the jaw for the eighth tooth, or during growth it takes on the wrong angle and, accordingly, cannot take its place in the dentition. In addition, the milk teeth have not created a canal for the wisdom tooth, so eruption is difficult.
The tooth often erupts at the wrong angle and has tortuous roots. Improper teething can cause inflammation of the soft tissues and facial muscles. In this case, the person experiences severe pain in the jaw area, pain may occur when swallowing, radiating to the ear, and a possible increase in temperature.
Injuries to teeth and soft tissues
Possible causes of injury include bruises, blows, and falls. When performing various procedures, the dentist can injure the roots of the tooth and surrounding soft tissues. Due to bacteria entering the wound, an inflammatory process develops and swelling appears. If a tooth is removed but a blood clot has not formed, allowing the wound to heal, inflammation may also occur. In such cases, toothache radiates into the ear on one side (as if there is a “shooting” in the ear) and has a pulsating character.
Cyst formation
A purulent cyst can form due to advanced forms of pulpitis or improper dental treatment. Swelling of the gums gradually appears, inflammation spreads to the ear canals, so a person has pain in the ear. Ear pain can occur both during the formation of a cyst and after its removal.
Pulpitis is a dental disease in which the internal tissues of the tooth (nerves and blood vessels) become inflamed. A common cause of pulpitis is advanced caries. In this case, the teeth react sharply to hot and cold food, and the person is bothered by attacks of severe toothache, which intensifies at night. Inflammation can spread to neighboring teeth. Features of manifestation: a person feels not only pain in the tooth, but also in the ear and in the temporal region. Pulpitis in its advanced form provokes the appearance of cysts and other complications, so surgical intervention by a dentist is necessary.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=vk7wPON_O-s
Trigeminal neuralgia
The nerve can become inflamed if it was damaged due to unsuccessful tooth extraction, hypothermia, viral infection, or cardiovascular diseases. The trigeminal nerve is the main sensory nerve of the face and oral cavity, consists of three branches (orbit, upper and lower jaw), so when it is inflamed, the pain is very extensive. Symptoms of neuralgia: sharp and acute pain in the face; a person’s masticatory and facial muscles may twitch convulsively, increased tearing and salivation. Redness may appear at the site of the inflamed nerve.
The pain occurs for no apparent reason, radiates to the ear and tooth simultaneously, and lasts several minutes. Her character is shooting, like an electric shock. The pain is periodic, mainly painful sensations occur in the lower part of the face, in some cases the attacks of pain are aching and are permanent.
Other reasons
If a person has a blocked ear, gums or teeth hurt, they should in any case seek help from a specialist. There are situations when pain in the teeth and ear is caused by other diseases and is not interrelated with each other. The reasons may be:
- pathologies in the brain;
- mental disorders and diseases of the nervous system;
- diseases of the cardiovascular system;
- problems with the spine and cervical vertebrae;
- Temporomandibular joint dysfunction resulting from injury, joint misalignment, or arthritis.
The opposite situation also happens, when the pain radiates to the teeth, for example with otitis media. Inflammation of the ear canal is characterized by sharp and shooting pain and fever.
What to do in case of inflammation of the temporal artery?
1. Severe, throbbing pain that appears suddenly and is localized mainly in the temples and back of the head.
2. Pain occurs when chewing, moving the jaw and head, for example, when combing; Along with general painful sensations, there is severe pain and pressure in the temples.
3. Redness, a clearly noticeable hard stripe on the temples in the ear area.
4. Pain in the eyes, double vision and blindness (sometimes temporary, sometimes long-term) in one or both eyes.
5. High fever, weight loss, and general weakness may appear.
6. Sometimes I feel dizzy.
If you feel a lot of pain and/or dizziness, or there is tightness and pressure in your temples, cold compresses on your forehead can help. Be careful when combing and brushing your teeth, as... these actions can cause pain.
Blood flow disturbance
An increasingly common problem among the population is poor circulation, which can be expressed as a symptom of pain in the temples, back of the head and ears. Such manifestations most often indicate cervical osteochondrosis. This disease can occur due to a sedentary lifestyle, heavy loads on the spine, poor nutrition and crooked posture. As a result, the following process occurs: the spine becomes less mobile, and salt deposits accumulate in it. As a result, problems arise with blood circulation and, accordingly, pain.
The consequence of this process is pinching of blood vessels and nerve endings. Unpleasant sensations in approximately half of the cases are concentrated in the temple. For treatment and prevention, it is imperative to develop the cervical area and improve your diet.
Also, problems with blood vessels can be associated with congenital pathologies and age-related changes. Twisted vessels lead to many problems. Plaques and stenosis of the artery walls are also a threat. Thinning of the walls leads to ruptures and hemorrhages. All this can lead to stroke and death. If you suspect such problems, you should undergo a full examination.
What to do if the pain is unbearable
To get rid of pain and forget about discomfort for a while, you can take a few simple steps. These general recommendations will not harm the patient’s health, but will alleviate his suffering until he receives professional help:
- Take a comprehensive pain reliever available without a doctor's prescription.
- Maintain the body's water balance by drinking enough plain drinking water (1.5-2 liters, not counting tea, juices or other drinks).
- Maintain the temperature in the room – from 18 to 22 degrees.
- Apply a warm, dry compress for a short time for otitis, which is not accompanied by fever and purulent discharge from the ear.
- Take an antipyretic if you have a high fever.
- If you have problems with your teeth, just rinse your mouth with warm water and baking soda - this will bring relief, but will not delay your visit to the dentist.
Important! Before taking an anesthetic drug, you should carefully read the contraindications. When the ear hurts and radiates to the temple, most people try to limit themselves to painkillers
But do not forget that this is only a temporary measure, since analgesics do not eliminate the cause of pain
When the ear hurts and radiates to the temple, most people try to limit themselves to painkillers. But do not forget that this is only a temporary measure, since analgesics do not eliminate the cause of the pain.
In order to completely cure the cause of unpleasant symptoms, you will have to seek advice from a qualified specialist as soon as possible.
Diagnostics will help determine the source of pain. After a standard history taking in the form of a survey and detailed complaints, a therapist or ENT doctor may prescribe more specialized procedures. The specialist’s task is to identify possible pathologies of the hearing organs, nervous system, brain, and blood vessels.
Diagnostics include:
- magnetic resonance therapy method;
- X-ray;
- computed tomography;
- tympanometry - study of the functions of the middle ear;
- Vascular ultrasound.
Reference. Once the source of pain is identified, the specialist will prescribe appropriate treatment. If the cause lies in vascular pathology or an infection that has spread to bone tissue, surgical intervention cannot be ruled out.
What not to do?
Some actions taken by patients in an attempt to get rid of pain significantly worsen the situation and complicate the specialist’s work. What you should not do until the exact cause of pain in the temples and ears is established:
- Prescribe yourself antibiotics. Most drugs have a number of contraindications, and in addition significantly worsen the functioning of the liver and intestines. Perhaps the harm caused to the body will be in vain, since the true cause of the pain will not require treatment with antibacterial drugs.
- Abuse invigorating drinks, hot and spicy foods to avoid exacerbations due to inflamed nerves.
- Warm up the ear (or jaw, if the cause of the pain is dental damage). With purulent otitis or inflammation of the dental canals, hot compresses significantly increase the swelling. As a result, the pain syndrome only becomes more intense.
- Pick your ears with cotton swabs or matches, trying to get a foreign object if it is a source of discomfort. It is also not recommended to drip or pour any drops or solutions into your ears.
Carefully! Experts do not recommend using traditional methods to eliminate pain in the ears and temples until the exact cause of the pain is determined. Any “grandmother’s recipe” should be agreed upon with the doctor so as not to delay the treatment process
What to do: general recommendations
In order to somehow get rid of the discomfort, most people decide to take a painkiller. Analgesics temporarily relieve discomfort and normalize the patient’s condition, but this is not a solution to the problem. To completely get rid of symptoms and their consequences, it is necessary to eliminate the causes that provoke them.
Diagnostics will reveal the cause of discomfort and pain. Standard procedures in the form of anamnesis collection, examination by a therapist and otolaryngologist can be supplemented by more narrowly focused procedures. To identify the condition of the ear, skull, spine and brain, as well as blood vessels and other elements, the doctor may prescribe:
- computed tomography;
- magnetic resonance imaging;
- radiography;
- tympanometry;
- Dopplerography, etc.
To eliminate the problem, appropriate treatment is prescribed. There are a number of general recommendations to reduce pain:
- relax and avoid stressful situations;
- establish a rest and sleep schedule;
- take medications prescribed by your doctor;
- prevent the development of otitis media;
- Avoid getting water and foreign objects into the ear;
- visit the dentist and have your teeth treated in a timely manner;
- eat right;
- eliminate smoking and do not abuse alcohol;
- play sports, lead an active lifestyle.
After suffering injuries, it is necessary to reduce the load on the body. In the case of vascular problems, surgery may be necessary, especially for congenital pathologies. When an infection in the ear spreads to the bone tissue, surgical treatment is also used.
The temples have a mastoid process in the form of porous bone, into which infection can penetrate.
Timely measures taken to identify the problem and eliminate it reduce the risk of serious complications. Some conditions cannot be completely cured, but if you maintain a healthy lifestyle and good rest, the frequency of discomfort is significantly reduced.
Causes of pain in the temples and ear area
To determine the cause of pain and assess the threat to your own health, you should listen to your own feelings, determine the type and location of pain. This will significantly speed up the process of establishing an accurate diagnosis.
Painful sensations that occur in the ears and head are:
The sensations can come in waves or be present constantly, or arise suddenly during certain actions or when changing position. The place where discomfort occurs is also important because it indicates the source of the disease.
The source of pain can be located in the ear, radiate to the left or right temple, affect both ears, or begin in the temple area, and only then spread to the hearing organs. Let's figure out what reasons lie behind the alarming symptoms.
Inflammatory processes in the hearing organs
One of the most common causes of unpleasant “lumbago” in the ears and temples is otitis media. The disease is bacterial or viral in nature, and is often a complication after illness of other ENT organs.
A simple runny nose can provoke otitis media. If you do not properly care for your sinuses during illness, excess mucus accumulates in the ear cavity, causing inflammation of the membrane. As a result of this, the pressure in the ear increases and the patient feels a shooting in the ear, radiating into the temples.
If treatment is not started promptly, inflammation can spread far beyond the hearing organs. If a patient has pain in the ear and temple on the right or left, and the intensity of the pain only increases, there is a risk of serious complications.
Labyrinthitis, meningitis, and mastodoitis not only require surgical intervention, but also risk leaving the patient without hearing.
Circulatory disorders
The problem of circulatory disorders is increasingly faced by young people who lead a sedentary lifestyle and do not monitor their posture, sitting for hours in front of computer screens. This leads to pinching of blood vessels in the cervical spine, which causes osteochondrosis.
Impaired blood flow causes pressing pain in the ears and head. If you ignore alarming symptoms, a person risks leading to a stroke and subsequent death.
Toothache
If a person has pain in the left temple and ear, and there are problems with the teeth, such facts indicate an exacerbation of caries or inflammation of the dental nerve. Acute excruciating pain in this case spreads not only to the affected tooth, but also to adjacent tissues.
There are other reasons associated with discomfort in the temples and ears:
- migraine;
- head or ear injury;
- arthritis of the jaw joint;
- peripheral nerve diseases;
- individual reaction of the body to weather conditions and atmospheric pressure.
Diagnosis and treatment
Due to the extensive list of possible causes of pain in the temporal part of the head, it is necessary to take a responsible approach to diagnosis in order to make a correct diagnosis. The main procedure is a tactile examination to determine the condition of the muscles, joints and lymph nodes. An examination of the fundus of the eye, oral cavity and reactions of the nerve endings of the head is also carried out. If necessary, the doctor will prescribe an MRI. It is recommended to consult with the following specialists:
- neurologist;
- infectious disease specialist;
- surgeon;
- oncologist;
- neurologist;
- psychotherapist.
For complete treatment, it is necessary to eliminate the root cause of the discomfort. If the violation is caused by external factors, it is necessary to completely exclude contact with them. If the cause is a pathological health disorder, experts recommend several treatment principles:
- with the help of medications;
- physiotherapy;
- surgical method;
- use of folk recipes.
Therapy is selected for each patient individually, depending on the characteristics of the disease and the person’s personal characteristics.
Blood flow disturbance
An increasingly common problem among the population is poor circulation, which can be expressed as a symptom of pain in the temples, back of the head and ears. Such manifestations most often indicate cervical osteochondrosis. This disease can occur due to a sedentary lifestyle, heavy loads on the spine, poor nutrition and crooked posture. As a result, the following process occurs: the spine becomes less mobile, and salt deposits accumulate in it. As a result, problems arise with blood circulation and, accordingly, pain.
The consequence of this process is pinching of blood vessels and nerve endings. Unpleasant sensations in approximately half of the cases are concentrated in the temple. For treatment and prevention, it is imperative to develop the cervical area and improve your diet.
Also, problems with blood vessels can be associated with congenital pathologies and age-related changes. Twisted vessels lead to many problems. Plaques and stenosis of the artery walls are also a threat. Thinning of the walls leads to ruptures and hemorrhages. All this can lead to stroke and death. If you suspect such problems, you should undergo a full examination.
An accidental minor injury to the ear can have enormous consequences. An even more dangerous situation is a head injury. In some cases, the pain is constant and is explained by a disruption of the nervous system.
Serious injury does not go away without leaving a trace in the vast majority of cases. Against this background, the ear may become inflamed. The risk of developing tumors in the ear and cranial cavities also increases. Severe pain can signal cancer.
If the cause of the pain lies precisely in injury to the head and ears, the damaged area will be marked by the presence of hematoma and swelling. In case of serious damage, bleeding, disruption of brain function, dizziness and loss of orientation in space are observed. If nerve endings and blood vessels are damaged, a person may behave inappropriately, lose consciousness, succumb to attacks of aggression, epileptic seizures, etc.
Under no circumstances should a head or ear injury be ignored. Consultation with a doctor is required. If a child is injured, immediately call an ambulance or go to the emergency room immediately, even if you think there is no reason to worry.
Prevention
For frequent right-sided temporal pain, self-medication is highly not recommended. It is better to relieve periodic attacks not with medications, but with homeopathy or proven folk remedies or prevention. For example: Cabbage recipe Take fresh cabbage leaves, crush until the juice releases and apply to the sore spot.
CompressTake 1 tbsp. l. apple cider vinegar, dilute in a liter of warm water. Apply a napkin soaked in liquid to your temple for half an hour.
For migraine pain, herbal decoctions or tea made from lemon balm, chamomile, mint, oregano, and elderberry help well.
Measures to prevent right-sided temporal pain:
- Consult a specialist who will choose the right diet for you, rich in saturated vitamins.
- Give up bad habits.
- Avoid drafts and external irritants.
- Learn to react correctly to stressful situations.
- Provide yourself with good sleep, relax, and give yourself a good rest.
- Therapeutic gymnastics or yoga classes help well.
Often people do not pay attention when they have a headache in their temples. If the symptom occurs only from time to time after emotional stress or at the end of the working day, there is no need to panic. True, it’s still worth making adjustments to your usual routine. It’s another matter if discomfort bothers you regularly or even constantly.
Attempts to eliminate pain in the temporal part of the head by systematically taking analgesics threaten to aggravate the problem and develop complications. It is better to visit a doctor as soon as possible, find out the cause of the sensations and carry out adequate therapy. Often, when the right temple hurts or is pulled, it is enough to change your lifestyle. Sometimes the manifestation indicates serious health problems and requires immediate professional intervention.
Prevention of organic pain in the right temple means combating the pathologies listed above. In most situations, it is enough to lead a healthy lifestyle, adjust your work and rest schedule, and systematically visit a therapist to identify hidden diseases.
Universal symptom prevention requires compliance with the following rules:
- refusal of junk food, processed foods, fast food, too spicy dishes;
- introduction to a regime of gentle physical exercise and walks in the fresh air;
- body weight control;
- maintaining a drinking regime - sometimes a headache signals dehydration;
- timely treatment of acute and chronic diseases;
- visiting the pool, yoga classes and massage sessions during sedentary work, which negatively affects the condition of the spine;
- prevention of stress, physical and emotional overload;
- getting a full night's sleep and avoiding daytime rest.
Almost every person has experienced pain in the right temple at least once in their life. In half of them, the symptom occurs regularly. Only in 10% of cases do people go to doctors and receive adequate medical care in a timely manner. Others risk their health and well-being by trying to cope with the problem on their own. In half of the situations this leads to the development of emergency or chronic conditions.
Until now, preventive measures are unknown.
Attention!
With every unusual condition in which there is a headache, pressure on the temple/temples and visual disturbances occur, something needs to be done! That is why it is advisable to contact a specialist as soon as possible. In particular, with inflammation of the temporal artery, attention should be paid to ophthalmological symptoms. If you experience double or blurred vision, see your doctor immediately. Delay in treatment can lead to permanent blindness.
Otitis and other ear diseases
In most cases, the ear hurts and radiates to the temple with the development of one or another disease of the hearing organ. The main reason is inflammation, that is, otitis media of the middle and inner ear. In the external form, such sensations are observed only in the event of complications.
When an infection gets behind the eardrum, an environment filled with pathogenic microflora is created. As a result of its vital activity, partial destruction of tissue occurs and the accumulation of viscous secretion in the ear. Putting pressure on parts of the organ causes discomfort, and suppuration is the main factor causing pain.
The most dangerous is inflammation of the inner ear, since this particular part of the organ is closely connected with the cranial bone tissue. When the corresponding nerve endings are irritated, contact occurs and unpleasant sensations spread to neighboring tissues.
If left untreated, ear infections can develop into more serious diseases. Most of them cause severe pain.
If you have pain in your ear and left or right temple, and it has been happening for quite some time and the intensity of the sensations is only increasing, a suspicion arises of a complex disease that has spread beyond the hearing organs.
Most often, such phenomena are caused by advanced ear inflammatory diseases that affect bone tissue. For example, with tympanitis, the infection can spread to the auditory ossicles, and pain radiates from them. Also with tubotympanitis, pain spreads to neighboring areas.
Due to the fact that the ears share common walls with the skull, inflammation can cause complications in the form of carious lesions of bone tissue. In this case, there is a risk of not only hearing loss without the possibility of recovery, but also more serious consequences. In rare advanced cases, destruction of the bone partitions occurs and the infection spreads to the brain. This result leads to disability and even death.
Other reasons
In addition to the above-mentioned situations, ear pain radiating to the temple can be caused by other causes. The most common ones include:
- Migraine. A severe headache spreads to other organs and parts of the body: ears, eyes, neck, etc. There is also aversion to bright light and sound. Such manifestations can cause irritability and greatly exhaust a person.
- Dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint. This joint is closely related to the mentioned affected area. If its normal functioning is disrupted for one reason or another, the ear may suffer and headaches may occur.
- Stress. Severe overwork, tension, and strong emotional experiences can disrupt the normal functioning of any part of the body. This effect is especially enhanced during muscle and vascular spasms.
- Toothache. Inflammation of the gums, jaw tissue and toothaches have an indirect effect on the ears. Unpleasant sensations radiate to the temporal region and cause excruciating discomfort.
How to get rid of pain?
To relieve discomfort after surgery, the patient is prescribed ice compresses.
Ice compress on tooth
If the surgical operation was easy and with minimal trauma, this will be quite enough. If the pain syndrome greatly bothers the patient, then painkillers are prescribed.
To prevent complications and increased pain, you should adhere to the following list of tips:
- You cannot remove a tampon inserted into the hole immediately after surgery - it must be present there for half an hour. This is how long it takes for a blood clot to form.
- You should not rinse your mouth for 24 hours after surgery.
- You should not eat food for three hours after surgery.
- You should not eat spicy, hot or sweet foods until the hole heals.
- It is unacceptable to overheat or overcool the surgical site.
- You should not self-medicate.
The most common causes of simultaneous pain in the ears and teeth
The roots of some teeth are located near the ear canals and are connected to them by nerve, blood and lymphatic vessels. Inflammation in the oral cavity can cause discomfort in the hearing organs, and conversely, ear diseases provoke pain in the tooth. In addition, unpleasant sensations in both organs can be caused by pathologies that have nothing to do with them. The most common situations are discussed below.
Eruption and removal of wisdom teeth
Ears can also hurt during teething, especially “eights”. This process occurs in many people with pathologies: the last unit of the dentition often grows in the wrong direction, is subject to destructive processes even before its appearance, and erupts with great difficulty due to the absence of a milk “predecessor”. Therefore, teething may be accompanied by high fever, severe pain radiating to the ear, throat, temples, neck, swelling and inflammation of the gums and other unpleasant symptoms.
The ear may also hurt when a wisdom tooth has been pulled out or after its treatment. These procedures often come with complications due to the location of the molar, inaccessibility for dental procedures and hygienic care. You should contact your dentist at the first sign of discomfort, since delay can lead to inflammation of the surrounding tissues, infection penetration into the jaw bone, and blood flow.
Acute or chronic pulpitis
Pulpitis causes pain in the tooth to radiate to the ear and temple. Inflammation of the pulp is accompanied by intense pain, which is often pulsating in nature, and intensifies at night (with caries there are no night attacks of pain). Delay is dangerous due to the appearance of periodontitis and cysts.
Cyst formation
If both the tooth and the ear hurt on one side (right or left, it doesn’t matter), the cause may be a cyst. As the formation grows, it increases in size, putting pressure on neighboring tissues, including nerve endings.
As a result, pain sensations become “blurred”. A cyst can form independently or as a result of improper treatment or tooth extraction.
Traumatic injuries
Bruises from a fall, blows to the jaw, ear, temple can also become a source of simultaneous pain in the ear and tooth(s). Tissue swelling, impaired blood circulation, compression of the trigeminal nerve - all this leads to blurred localization of pain. The same thing happens after tooth extraction - discomfort in the ears can be felt for up to several days.
Ear infection
Discomfort in the jaw and ears can be caused by an inflammatory process in the outer, middle or inner ear - otitis media
In this case, you need to pay attention to the following symptoms: there is a “shooting” in the ear, a rise in body temperature, a headache, one or more teeth hurt, and there may be discharge from the ear canal
Trigeminal neuralgia
The inflammatory process affecting the trigeminal nerve is acute: pain permeates the entire damaged part of the head and face, may appear suddenly, subside and occur again. In addition to pain in the tooth and ear on the affected side, associated symptoms are:
- difficulties with speech and eating,
- numbness of the jaw,
- increased secretion of saliva and tear fluid,
- hyperemia of the diseased area,
- slight swelling of the face is possible.
Neuralgia can be caused by infectious diseases, hypothermia, heart problems, dental procedures, bruises and blows to the jaw and other factors.
TMJ pathologies
Arthritis, arthrosis, dislocation of the lower jaw joint can also lead to pain in the ear and tooth at the same time. As a result of degenerative processes in cartilage tissue, bone displacement, pathologies of the articular fossa and other disorders, a person may feel that the ear is blocked, and the pain may be aching or throbbing, depending on the intensity of the inflammation. In addition, there may be difficulties with eating, speaking, yawning and other jaw movements.
Alarming symptoms
In an isolated case, you can take a pill and not worry, but if the symptom occurs constantly, you need to pay attention to the general condition of the body. The following indicators are cause for concern:
- constant pain in the left temple, radiating to other parts of the head;
- increased pain during physical activity;
- memory loss, impaired motor coordination;
- fear of bright light;
- frequent dizziness, accompanied by nausea;
- periodic noise or ringing in the ears.
If such a situation occurs, it is necessary to consult a specialist to make an accurate diagnosis.