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What Causes Tingling Sensation In Right Cheek And Clicking Sounds While Opening Mouth?

Posted on Mon, 17 Aug 2015

Question: Hello, I'm 20 years old. A few months ago I had a very stressful period of time in my life, followed by panic attacks, depression and anxiety. Not too long after that I began feeling my ears clogged and pressure in my head. I went to the doctor three times and to the ENT two times. The ENT recommended a CT scan and everything came back normal. He gave me a shot inside the nose ( I guess steroids, for allergies) and asked me to go back ten days after that. I went back and still could feel my ears clogged, plus tingling on the right side of my cheek. He concluded that it was the result of a case of "TMJ" but he got to the conclusion just because my jaw popped once. His advice was to not open my jaw a lot, and to control the movement to prevent arthritis, once I started limiting my jaw movements, pain in my jaw arose (Obviously since I was putting so much tension on it)I had never had pain from opening my jaw, but now it feels so tense it hurts to open it. So my question is, was that an accurate conclusion? I still feel my ears clogged and they always make a clicking noise whenever a yawn or swallow, Which drives me crazy. Sometimes I feel the pressure in my head when they get clogged. I also went to the dentist and they told me my wisdom teeth needed to me removed since they are all impacted. Could you tell me what could this ear problem be (and the tingling on my right cheek)? Could it be really related to any of the conclusions given by the doctors. Btw; my allergies have been bad this year, could it be allergies? I've had this problem for 4 months, and two months ago I gave up on the doctors! Thank you very much! I don't know what else to do.

Answered by Dr. Mahesh Kumar T S (7 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Temoporomandibular joint disorder, wisdom tooth infection, medication

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for your query. I have gone through your query.
As far as the tingling sensation in the cheek, clicking sound and pain while opening your mouth is concerned, I would consider disc displacement in the temporomandibular joint as the more likely cause. It can occur secondary to malocclusion or trauma. But this will get aggravated when you have stress or anxiety. I am not sure if you consulted an oral physician. If not, I would recommend visiting oral physician. You need to get radiographs done like OPG and TMJ views to confirm the diagnosis.
Mean while you can take a course of analgesic like piroxicam(if you are not allergic) and give hot fomentation over the joint region. Do not eat hard food, do not open your jaw too wide.

Regarding the wisdom tooth, the impacted wisdom tooth can also result in radiating pain to the jaw, the side of the face, temporal region and limited mouth opening.
So we have to decide the diagnosis based on the clinical examination. So you need to consult a good oral physician and get yourself examined clinically. Once we examine clinically then we can decide whether the problem is from the wisdom tooth or temporomandibular joint. The problem is not related to ear. Do not get stressed, because stress can worsen the condition.

I hope i have answered your query. If any queries are there, reply me back. Take care.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad

Follow up: Dr. Mahesh Kumar T S (9 hours later)

Thank you fo answering. I went to a dentist who recommended a surgeon. The main problem is, if the TMJ disorder has nothing to do with my ears, then what could the problem be? My ears continue to get clogged and to click and to pop. And the only answer the ENT gave was "oh probably TMJ". This is frustrating. A period before the problem with the ears I went through a rigorous period of antibiotics.. I don't know if that could have anything to do either

Answered by Dr. Mahesh Kumar T S (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Temporomandibular joint disorder, medication, splints

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for your reply.
I understand your frustrations and concern about your problem. The clogged feeling in the ear can be secondary to wax. But it is not related to temporomandibular joint disorder. The clicking when you open or close is a classic feature of disc displacement in the temporomandibular joint. The clogged ear can be Nothing to be panic. Consult a good oral physician (who is specialised in oral medicine and radiology or oral surgery) and get it evaluated. The problem can be secondary to malocclusion or malaligned teeth, any trauma to the joint, and bruxism. So consult a physician and get these problems ruled out. If the diagnosis is confirmed, then we can treat you with soft splints and we can correct the cause. If you take the medicines which I have mentioned in the previous conversation you will get some relief and follow the same instruction.
If you get anxious or stressed, again it will worsen the condition. Be calm, it can be treated. The antibiotics will not help you to treat this condition.
I hope I have answered your query. If any queries are there reply me back.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj

Follow up: Dr. Mahesh Kumar T S (47 hours later)

Thank you again for the answer. I wonder if you could pass my question to an ENT specialist. Definitely it's not wax buildup, hence my other ENT did not mention anything about wax. Again, my ears symptoms have been around for 4 months and they feel clogged, and make clicking noises when I swallow and yawn. I know it might be something with Eustachian tubes, but the sound it makes its really loud and sounds like something sticky( fluid of mucus). The symptom of fullness it's too uncomfortable. But when the CT scan was performed, nothing showed up. No sinusitis, or mucus around my sinuses area.
What could this be? Is there a solution for it?

Answered by Dr. Mahesh Kumar T S (11 hours later)

Brief Answer:
temporomandibular joint disorder and medication

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for your reply.

I am sorry if I wasn't able to convince you with my answer. But as I said earlier, the clicking sounds to me as per your description seems most likely due to temporomandibular joint disorder. I see such cases day in and day out in my out patient. I will strongly urge you to pursue with your local oral physician or oral maxillofacial surgeon.

Moreover I wouldn't be able to transfer this question to ENT here. You are free to close this discussion and ask another question to an ENT surgeon on the platform.

I hope I have answered your query.

Take care

Note: Consult an experienced Otolaryngologist / ENT Specialist online for further follow up on ear, nose, and throat issues - Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad