Can the flu cause ear pain and a toothache?

Doctor's Answer

Yes, indeed, your ear pain and toothache may be related to your flu. As Dr Jaclyn, my dental colleague, has rightly described in her answer, this may be due to referred pain where the same group of nerves is supplying surrounding structures because the flu "bug" is causing inflammation and irritation of the lining of your sinuses, teeth and the eardrum.

However, ear pain and fever may also be due to an actual ear infection so it is important to examine the ear carefully to check for any redness, swelling or even infected fluid/pus trapped behind the eardrum.

As the eardrum is an extremely sensitive structure supplied by many nerve branches, an infection here can feel excruciatingly painful. The middle ear (or space behind the eardrum) is directly connected to the back of your nose and throat so "bugs" can easily spread from here to your ear.

In addition to painkillers and anti-inflammatory medications, you might need a course of antibiotics like Augmentin to treat the ear infection. Sometimes, even though the common flu is due to a virus, secondary bacterial infection may develop which needs to be treated with antibiotics before it worsens.

Hope you feel better soon!

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