How Permanent Is Tinnitus?

Is there a ringing sensation in your ear sometimes? If that sensation persists, you may be suffering from tinnitus. This common condition affects about 15% of people and can be treated by an ENT specialist. 

What Are the Reasons for Tinnitus?

There are actually a number of different potential causes for tinnitus. This can mean that treating tinnitus can involve very different methods. It all depends on the root cause of the problem, because a real cure for the issue will target what is causing it in the first place. 

Tinnitus can actually occur over time, as you suffer with hearing loss. It is not uncommon for seniors to experience some measure of hearing loss that exacerbates as they age. If you suspect that your hearing is going, then you will want to be examined by an ENT specialist like Dr. Dennis Chua. 

Another common reason for tinnitus is a damaged eardrum. If your eardrum is punctured, it may not heal properly and could leave you with tinnitus. If you stick any long or sharp object in your ear, there is a chance it could penetrate the eardrum, causing it to rupture and leaving you with serious hearing loss and other hearing problems, including tinnitus.

The condition could be caused by something that isn’t so serious or severe, like excessive earwax. If you have a buildup of wax in the ears, then your ENT doctor can remove that for you and restore your normal hearing, eliminating the tinnitus.

Ear infections can cause tinnitus too. This would only be a temporary problem, and the tinnitus should clear up once the infection has been treated. All sorts of things can cause an ear infection, including bacterial growth, colds, allergies, flus, smoking and even changes in air pressure. Once the problem is taken care of, the tinnitus should go away. After you recover from your illness or the pressure changes in the air or the other cause has been eliminated, your hearing should go back to normal quickly. 

Blood vessel irregularities are another common cause of tinnitus. If your blood vessels are blocked or you suffer from high blood pressure, then you may not only have tinnitus, btu you could also be able to hear your own heartbeat quite loudly. If this happens, talk to your doctor and get a professional diagnosis. This can be a serious problem, and it needs to be addressed quickly to ensure that any major health issues are averted as early as possible. 

Will It Ever Go Away?

The question of whether you will have to suffer with tinnitus forever or not can be answered by your ENT specialist. Call your local clinic and ask about Dr Dennis Chua, requesting a consultation. The specialist will be able to provide you with some answers, perhaps figuring out the reason for your tinnitus. Then the specialist will be able to figure out a treatment plan that has been personalized to you. 

Depending on the cause behind the tinnitus, you may be stuck with the problem for much longer or it may be able to be resolved quickly and simply. If your ear was damaged and that cause the condition, then you can experience prolonged medical problems as it heals. Not everyone heals at the same rate, so your ET specialist may have a difficult time figuring out how long the tinnitus will last for. 

If the problem is a simple infection or a buildup of ear wax, then you can get that corrected quickly and have your hearing returned just as fast. The tinnitus should not be a problem.

If hearing loss, loud noises or blood vessel issues caused your tinnitus, it could take longer to fix the problem. Some therapy or medication may be needed to alleviate the hearing difficulties and treat the tinnitus over time. Your ENT specialist will need to take each case on an individual basis and give you a personal diagnosis. 

You won’t know for sure how long the process will take and how long you will have to suffer from tinnitus until you have a consultation with an ENT doctor. You should not have to live with this condition permanently, though. In most cases, tinnitus is treatable.