Some of Dr. Elliot Davis’s dental patients brought to his attention that their tinnitus unexpectedly improved while receiving Tinnisense revisionist dental aligner care. Dentists, physicians and audiologists may want to consider gentle and affordable revisionist sequential aligner therapy as it may help to reduce the very large and unexplained rise in tinnitus, which may in part be due to dental care in general, and various orthodontic treatments.
Two Facts:
While more is at stake when the Do-Over involves a joint or valve replacement surgery rather than whether a ball was in or out, the point is that the need for a subsequent procedure to correct a portion or an entire outcome from a prior surgery is more than acceptable, it is often the standard of care.
In the October 2023, issue of Yale Medicine, senior clinical writer Carrie MacMillan wrote “Revision Surgery: Why Some Patients Need a Redo Surgery.” MacMillan quotes an orthopedic surgeon who believes “Revision surgery is any surgery that, for whatever reason, needs to be redone. It’s essentially a ‘redo’.” A Do-Over.
Of the millions of surgeries performed in the United States each year by cardiothoracic surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, facial plastic surgeons, otolaryngology surgeons (ENTs), ophthalmologic surgeons, etc., 10%-20% are considered “repeat” surgeries. These revision surgeries were a second, third (or more) attempt to remedy a problem that was identified, but not fully corrected, during a first or subsequent surgery.
Dentistry is cautiously embracing a different kind of revision therapy. “The Relationship Between Dental Care and Tinnitus: A Case Report” (Davis) was published in the Spring 2025 journal of GD, the official peer-reviewed publication of the New York Academy of General Dentistry. The report connected previously non-associated but seemingly cause-and-effect occurrences. The number of patients who sought care for tinnitus with a physician and the number who received traditional and aligner braces with an orthodontist each grew at rates 6-7 times faster than the U.S. population grew since the 1980’s.
There is an important difference between revision medical surgeries and revision dental procedures. Revision medical surgeries often correct a problem that existed prior to the first surgery. Revision sequential dental aligner therapy helps those who often did not have that problem prior to the initial dental treatment. The first treatment, often traditional or aligner orthodontic braces, was likely responsible for their new health problems.
While patients were always symptomatic prior to their initial medical surgery, patients were almost always asymptomatic prior to their initial dental procedure. Those contemplating a revision therapy often acquired their problem while having or shortly after their dental care (e.g., filling, crown, bridge, dental implant, traditional braces, orthodontic aligners, orthodontic retainers, occlusion splints). Dental problems that arise (e.g., tinnitus, temporomandibular joint [TMJ] dysfunction [TMD] disorder [TMJD], obstructive sleep apnea) often pose real challenges.
During the informed consent process, parents and patients should be made aware of the common dental, and dental-medical consequences when deciding whether to start care. Monitoring periodontal health, sleep health, TMJ health and tinnitus health all help to spot early signs of concern. Early detection from any of those dental cues could lead to a fix while the process is fully reversible.
When one thinks of tinnitus, hearing tests with audiologists and exams by ENTs come to mind. However, while still early, patients have reported successful experiences with their tinnitus health and sleep health [continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device usage was able to be safely stopped] after receiving revision sequential dental aligner therapy.
There is currently no known cure or medication to help those with tinnitus, just coping and behavior modification strategies. Based on a few early, but quite promising results, the potential for wider implementation of revision sequential intraoral dental aligner therapy merits further exploration.