Trusted Doctors for Tinnitus Treatment in North Texas
Nearly 75% of Americans have experienced tinnitus in some form, but most experience temporary tinnitus, which lasts a few minutes or hours. However, there are people who experience a constant ringing 24/7, which makes it difficult to concentrate while working or studying, causes ongoing stress, or prevents them from getting a good night’s sleep.
Are you among those hampered by the ongoing neurological disorder known as tinnitus? If so, you might be desperately searching for a tinnitus specialist near you who is able to provide a solution to the constant ringing in your ears.
You’re in the right place because our doctors of audiology at Denton Hearing Health Care have the experience and expertise to diagnose your tinnitus and provide relief. Our tinnitus specialists understand your struggle and are eager to provide both answers and solutions able to improve your quality of life.
How Denton Hearing Health Care Can Help Manage the Ringing in Your Ears
Tinnitus is a symptom, not a disease, so it is necessary for your audiologist to test for and rule out possible causes before prescribing treatment, which might include one or several approaches, such as:
Medications
In some cases, medications or the medication combinations you are using to treat other conditions can cause tinnitus and changing to a different formula can help alleviate symptoms. Some who experience tinnitus benefit from the help of antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications as well as lipoflavonoids, which require additional research in order to further evaluate its effectiveness.
Acoustic Therapy
This form of therapy involves the use of an externally produced sound to mask, inhibit, or alter the production of tinnitus sounds. Six common methods of acoustic stimulation include:
- A sound generator or tinnitus masker, an ear-level electronic device housed in a hearing aid case that produces white noise
- A tinnitus instrument, a combination hearing aid and sound generator
- Hearing aids, which amplify sounds and stimulate areas of the ear and brain that may not be receiving adequate stimulation because of hearing loss
- A tabletop or portable sound generator
- In-home masking, such as the use of an electric fan, radios, or television
- Music therapy
Music Therapy
Auditory Habituation/Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT)
One of the most successful forms of tinnitus management, TRT involves directive counseling and low-level sound masking. The objective is to help the brain relearn a pattern that will de-emphasize the importance of the tinnitus sounds, which is particularly helpful in desensitizing patients who are overly sensitive to sound.
Directive counseling provides intensive, individualized education regarding the causes and effects of tinnitus on the ear, the brain, and the coping mechanism. Because stress plays a significant role in the aggravation of tinnitus symptoms, stress management, which might include relaxation, guided imagery, and self-hypnosis, is used to help combat the stress, anxiety, and sleep disturbances associated with tinnitus.
Adding the combination of low-level masking produces broadband noise via hearing aid type devices to soften the intensity without completely blocking out the noise of tinnitus in order to help facilitate auditory habituation.
Hearing Aids
What Our Delighted Patients Say
Frequently Asked Questions about Tinnitus
Q. What is tinnitus?
A. Rather than a condition of its own, tinnitus is a symptom of a neurological condition that causes a perception of sounds that are not actually there, similar to “phantom limb” experienced by amputees.
Q. What causes tinnitus?
A. There is no defined cause of tinnitus, which is a symptom rather than a disease. Consequently, tinnitus can relate to damage to the inner ear (usually associated with hearing loss), a middle ear infection or buildup of fluid in the middle ear, Meniere’s disease, or earwax buildup. It may also be linked to ototoxic drugs and medications, high blood pressure, hyper/hypothyroidism, diabetes, and acoustic neuromas.
Q. Are there different types of tinnitus?
A. There are two types of tinnitus: subjective tinnitus, where the sounds can only be heard by you, and objective tinnitus, where the sounds can also be heard by your doctor when using a stethoscope or other listening device.
Q. I thought tinnitus was only a ringing sound in the ears?
A. Many with tinnitus experience a ringing sound, but others experience buzzing, humming, crickets, clicking, or similar sounds. In addition, tinnitus can be a steady sound or one that is pulsatile.
Q. Can tinnitus just affect one ear?
A. Some people hear sounds in only one ear, some in both ears, and some perceive it as a sound within their head rather than either ear. When it is in both ears, it may not be the same volume, the same frequency, or the same type of sound in each ear.
Q. Is there a cure for tinnitus?
A. Without a defined cause, there is no “magic cure.” If your tinnitus is caused by an underlying medical condition, injury, or drug reaction, addressing the underlying cause may stop your tinnitus, but most individuals with tinnitus symptoms must learn how to manage it.
Q. Can my tinnitus be improved?
A. More than 80% of people are able to improve their tinnitus symptoms by using any or several of a variety of tinnitus management solutions.
Q. Can a hearing aid help my tinnitus?
A. Tinnitus does not cause hearing loss, but many people who have tinnitus also have some degree of hearing loss. Hearing aids often provide relief for their tinnitus because of the masking effect produced by amplifying other natural sounds around you or from the tinnitus masking applications that come with many hearing aid models.
Q. Will a special diet make my tinnitus disappear?
A. While certain additives and foodstuffs, such as alcohol, salt, and caffeine, may exacerbate tinnitus, they are not the root cause. Tinnitus management strategies may include changes to your diet and/or lifestyle, but on their own, they will not be enough to alleviate tinnitus symptoms.
Q. Is there anything I can do to prevent or minimize tinnitus?
A. There are several things you can try in order to prevent or minimize tinnitus, including:
- Reducing exposure to extremely loud noise with ear protection
- Avoiding total silence
- Decreasing salt intake
- Monitoring your blood pressure
- Avoiding stimulants, such as caffeine and nicotine
- Exercising
- Reducing fatigue
- Managing stress
Schedule a Tinnitus Assessment
If the ringing, buzzing, or humming sounds of tinnitus are ongoing and make daily living a struggle, your first step toward finding relief is to schedule a tinnitus assessment with one of our tinnitus specialists at Denton Hearing Health Care.
To get the help you need and take your life back from the ongoing frustration caused by tinnitus, just submit the adjacent form and a member of our team will contact you to schedule a tinnitus assessment.
"*" indicates required fields
Our Experts Answer
