If you’re experiencing a ringing or buzzing sound in your ears, you’re not alone. You may be suffering from tinnitus—a common condition that impacts an estimated 50 million Americans each year. Not all cases of tinnitus are permanent. If you’ve been to a noisy concert or fireworks show and had a temporary ringing in your ears, you’ve likely experienced temporary tinnitus.

But for many people, tinnitus is a permanent condition that impacts their everyday lives. So what causes tinnitus? And is there a cure that can stop the phantom ringing in your ears? Read on for all you need to know.

What Causes Tinnitus?

Have you ever heard stories about the “phantom limb” phenomenon? This refers to the sensation experienced by a majority of amputees. After losing a limb, patients experience sensations, sometimes painful, that feel like they’re coming from the missing limb. And tinnitus is quite similar.

Most of the time, tinnitus is caused by an existing hearing loss at a certain frequency. Our brains are able to hear different frequencies and pitches. But if you’re experiencing a hearing loss at one of those frequencies, your brain isn’t stimulated in that frequency region. To compensate for the lack of sound, your brain creates its own internal noise—resulting in the ringing, buzzing, or humming sounds that are associated with tinnitus.

It’s possible that you may be able to hear some sounds just fine while struggling to hear other sounds at different frequencies. This is because the neurons in your brain are frequency specific. And your brain doesn’t simply stop working when it’s unable to pick up a sound. Instead, the brain’s neurons make their own noise.

Can Tinnitus Be Cured?

The temporary tinnitus that you may experience after being exposed to loud noises like concerts or sporting events usually goes away within a few hours. However, permanent tinnitus tends to get worse over time if it’s not treated.

While there is no permanent cure for tinnitus, audiologists and researchers have found proven therapeutic techniques that are able to help provide relief for the symptoms of tinnitus. Some of the techniques that we use at Hearing & Balance Doctors include:

Tinnitus Treatment at Hearing & Balance Doctors

Tinnitus can have a negative impact on your quality of life. It can keep you awake at night and can cause you to want to isolate yourself socially, leading to mental health issues like anxiety and depression. Here at Hearing & Balance Doctors, our team offers a complete tinnitus treatment program that’s designed to help you reduce the effect of tinnitus symptoms on your lifestyle.

During your tinnitus assessment, your tinnitus specialist will spend some time getting to know you and your medical history. They’ll ask you some questions about how your condition is affecting your daily life and will work to identify the type and severity of your tinnitus. They’ll also perform a comprehensive hearing assessment to evaluate whether your tinnitus is caused by a hearing loss. Sometimes, additional testing by an ENT may be necessary to rule out other medical conditions.

After your tinnitus assessment, your tinnitus specialist will spend some time discussing your treatment options with you. We never approach tinnitus treatment with a one-size-fits-all mentality—your tinnitus is unique, and your treatment should be, too.

Schedule a Tinnitus Assessment in Nevada and Utah