subject: Why Do I Have A Sudden Ringing In My Ears? [print this page] For generations people have suffered from a ringing in their ears, commonly referred to as tinnitus. It can occur in one or both ears, and it can sound either high or low pitched. Almost everyone, at some time, has suffered from a ringing in their ears, but don't consider themselves to be suffering from Tinnitus because it was a short lived experience.
A sudden ringing in your ears can be explained several different ways. One such incident would be a buildup of wax or dirt in the ear canal. As simple as this sounds it can be very dangerous to try to dig out the wax yourself. Buying an over-the-counter ear wash at your pharmacy will clean most wax build up out easily. Don't rule out a severe ear infection as a cause of tinnitus as well.
Tinnitus can also be caused by over the counter medications. These medications can lead to a semi-permanent case of tinnitus and/or hearing loss as well. Luckily by reducing the dosage of these medications you can reduce or eliminate tinnitus entirely. Drugs such as salicylate analgesics (high dose aspirin), naproxen sodium (Naproxen, Aleve), ibuprofen, other non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, amino glycoside, anti-depressants, diuretics, quinine/anti-malarias, oral contraceptives, antibiotics, and chemotherapy drugs just to name a few. Ototoxic antibiotics taken for an ear infection might produce a case of ear ringing as well.
Sometimes, a sudden case of ear ringing can be caused not by a natural occurrence like a dirty ear (an over abundance of ear wax) or an ear infection, but by an event, for example an automobile crash. After receiving a traumatic head injury in a car crash, many victims describe the birth of a sudden case of tinnitus. The same can be said after receiving certain dental work like the removal of a tooth, or having ultrasonic tooth cleaning. These teeth procedures can cause hearing damage as well. Because the bone conducts the sound straight in to the ear, the hearing damage can be profound and because it is an internal sound, remember bone conducts the sound, there is little you can do to protect yourself hearing from this damage. Evan ear plugs can't help because the sound is internal, not external. There are some sound procedures that you can protect yourself from. MRI's and CAT scans and other non-invasive scanning machines can be protected from by using ear plugs. When these machines are running they are extremely loud and can damage your hearing, so make sure that they provide you with ear plugs or some form of ear protection. Most do, but if not, bring your own.
If you experience an episode of tinnitus all of a sudden, it probably is simply a momentary occurrence and will pass just as quickly. If you attended a concert or were around some loud machinery, your ear ringing should pass in a day or two. In most of these cases the damage to the inner ear is not permanent unless you do it all the time.
