Thanks for asking me such an intriguing question! One of the lesser known symptoms of Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJ/TMD) is dizziness as your TMJ or jaw joint sits very close to the structures of the middle and inner ear. Your TMJ is supplied by a rich network of nerves which also supply different parts of the ear itself.
So if there is any irritation or inflammation around the TMJ, then it may potentially affect the ear and give rise to ear-related symptoms such as:
- ear pain
- tinnitus (noise in ear)
- ear fullness or pressure sensation
- vertigo (spinning sensation)
- hypersensitivity to sound and dizziness too.
In addition, the blood supply to the TMJ comes from blood vessels in the neck circulation so sometimes, muscle spasms adjacent to these blood vessels may affect the blood flow to the TMJ as well as to the neck and the head/brain. This may make you feel dizzy too, especially if you have neck and shoulder muscle problems.
However strictly speaking, balance is controlled by the brain, inner ear function, eyes and nerve function in the neck, spine, trunk and legs.
So before we can assume that your dizziness is due to TMJ problems, we must always take a detailed history from you and conduct a thorough full examination of all these important structures as many other conditions can cause dizziness and present in a similar manner like your problem.
The fact that you say you suffer constant dizziness is a bit unusual so I definitely would not wish to just label your dizziness as “TMJ related”.
The key to the management of dizziness is to obtain the correct diagnosis, so that we may then proceed to manage your condition successfully. Get well soon, Mohammad!
