Sudden Ear Ringing
Almost everyone has experienced a sudden ringing in the ears sometime in one’s life. Normally the sound only lasts for a few seconds to a minute or two. It can be in one or both ears and range from low to high pitch. Sometimes the ringing can last much longer than a few minutes. This kind of constant ringing in the ears is known as tinnitus.
Several reasons could cause tinnitus or sudden ear ringing. For example, a build-up of dirt or wax in the ear canal and severe ear infection are two of the common factors. Keep in mind that trying to dig out the wax build-up in your ears is dangerous and can damage the ear canal if you are not careful. If you visit a local drugstore you will find over-the-counter wash for ears which you can use to clean up the dirt or wax build-up in a gentle and safe manner.
Sometimes a sudden ear ringing may be caused by an event such as a car accident. After a traumatic head injury, many automobile crash victims experience tinnitus. Some people have reported a sudden onset of tinnitus after having certain procedures done on their teeth such as an ultrasonic cleaning or a difficult tooth extraction. This happens when bone conduction of loud sounds directly to the ear that can cause hearing damage.
Unfortunately, in the case of dental procedures, because the sound is internal, there is not much you can do to protect your hearing. On the other hand, earplugs can normally protect your hearing from MRI’s, CAT’s and other non-invasive scanning machines. These machines are very loud and even if your head is outside of the machine while it is running it could still damage your hearing. Most modern imaging facility would supply you with earplugs when you are doing these tests.
Over-the-counter or prescription drugs may also cause a sudden ear ringing. Sometimes after the dosage of the medication is reduced, the ringing of the ears will be reduced or even eliminated completely.
Some of the medicines that may have tinnitus as a side effect include naproxen sodium (Naprosyn, Aleve), non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, aminoglycoside antibiotics, anti-depressants, ibuprofen, loop-inhibiting diuretics, salicylate analgesics (which is higher doses of aspirin), oral contraceptives, quinine/anti-malarials, and chemotherapy.
Ear ringing caused by an ear infection could be related to the use of ototoxic antibiotics. Unfortunately, sometimes these medications can also lead to permanent tinnitus and/or hearing loss.
If you experience a sudden ear ringing, look for the simplest explanation first. Perhaps you recently exposed yourself to a loud noise. Many people who have attended a concert sometimes complain of ear ringing even for the entire day after the event is over. In these cases the ringing in the ears is due to the slight damage to the inner ear and typically it is not permanent.
