Could My Six-month Ear Pressure And Clicking Sound When Moving My Jaw Be Caused By A Jaw Joint Issue Rather Than A Blocked Eustachian Tube?

Posted on Thu, 14 May 2020

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 14 May 2020 Answered on

Thu, 6 Nov 2025 Last reviewed on

Question : I have symptoms of a high-pitched sound when I move my jaw up and down while eating, yawning and even when I turn my head sideways to the affected side as well as grinding the teeth. I also have fullness/pressure in the ear when the jaw is motionless. I have now had these symptoms for about 6 months. I went to see the doctor last week who thought it was due to the jaw joint although there is no pain or soreness and recommended that I see a stomatologist but she didn't think it was because the Eustachian tube is blocked. Does this make sense?

I also had an x-ray performed on the jaw a few months ago and it said that the left mandibular condyle is positioned very slightly in front of the most pronounced point of the temporal condyle

Answered by Dr. Lekshmi Rita Venugopal (22 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Need to rule out ENT issues

Detailed Answer:

Hello,

Your symptoms could most likely be due to blocked eustachian tube/middle ear issues. Middle ear infection s, chronic allergy, etc can cause such problems. Through physical and ear, nose and throat examination and Xray of sinuses are required at this point. So please be advised to follow up with an ENT specialist.

The tempero-mandibular Xray result shows a slight malpositioning of the condyle. However, it shouldn't cause many issues, except for jaw locking in some individuals.

So it is best to rule out ear issues first. If ENT problems are ruled out, then consider following up with a stomatologist or dentist.

Regards,
Dr. Lekshmi Rita Venugopal

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Arnab Banerjee

Follow up: Dr. Lekshmi Rita Venugopal (2 hours later)

I went to see an ENT doctor recently who said my ear was clear but there was still some mucus lodged when he examined my nose.

However, I saw the GP last week and she thought the high-pitched sound in the ear when the jaw moves and fullness/pressure in the ear was due to the temporomandibular joint dysfunction.

Answered by Dr. Lekshmi Rita Venugopal (15 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Follow up with dentist

Detailed Answer:

Hello,

As we had discussed previously, if ENT doctor has ruled out ear problems, then the next step is to schedule an appointment with stomatologist/dentist to undergo detailed evaluation regarding temporomandibular joint issues.

Regards,
Dr. Lekshmi Rita Venugopal

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D