Ear Pain While Eating

The middle ear, throat and nose are all connected internally. You must have experienced irritation in the throat while removing earwax. This explains how an infection in the nose, throat or ear can affect all of them. Correct diagnosis of ear pain can be a challenging job for the doctor as one can experience ear pain due to several reasons.

Causes: Parotid glands are one of the large and major salivary glands that lie just below the ears or in front of the ears, in the jaw. These are responsible for bringing the saliva into the mouth near the upper molars. Viral infection causing inflammation of these glands is known as mumps which is quite common in children.

It can also be observed in adults. Children or adults having mumps experience swelling and pain around the glands and at the bottom of the mouth in the lower jaw. The condition leads to difficulty in swallowing and movement of the jaw and the mouth.

Ear pain while eating is common during mumps. A bacterial infection of the salivary glands including parotid glands can lead to ear pain when swallowing.

Symptoms: Excessive swelling below the ears, on one side of the face or on both sides of the face accompanied by pain in the ears and throat while eating indicates mumps. Swelling may make it difficult to open the mouth. Symptoms like facial pain, inflammation over upper neck and side of the face and swelling below the jaw are other symptoms which help diagnose the condition.

Causes: Exact causes of tumors in the mouth, ear, jaw, head or neck are not known. But it is believed that excessive consumption of tobacco can lead to tumors in mouth. The tumor can be benign or malignant. Cancers of the larynx, pharynx, oral cavity, salivary glands, etc. (cancers of the head and neck) can also lead to ear pain while swallowing food or drinks.

Symptoms: Not every instance of pain in the ear while eating indicates tumor. However, when accompanied by abnormal lesions in mouth or abnormal growth in mouth or around or inside the ear, the symptoms may indicate tumor. A tumor in the salivary glands can block the flow of saliva and lead to swelling of the gland. This can cause pain in the ear, face and jaw. Symptoms may vary according to the type, size and location of the tumors.

Causes: A viral or bacterial infection in the throat area results in sore throat. Since the nose, throat and ear are internally connected, infection in any of these three can spread to the other two and result in pain and discomfort. Swelling of the Eustachian tube when having a sore or strep throat can lead to throat pain and ear pain while ingesting food.

Symptoms: A throat infection can lead to ear pain while eating. Drinking an ice-cold liquid may result in severe ear pain. Reddened throat area, swelling in the throat accompanies ear pain in case of sore throat. Many times, mild to high degree fever may follow a throat infection.

Causes: When the sinus cavities are filled with mucus, they exert pressure on the ear cavity. Moreover, exchange of fluid from sinus cavity to the ear cavity leads to spread of infection and pain in the ears.

Symptoms: Severe nasal congestion, constant coughing and sneezing, watery or thick discharge from the nasal cavity, headache, facial pain, fever and chills are commonly experienced along with ear pain, in individuals suffering from sinusitis.

Causes: Infection or inflammation of the tonsils is common in children. Since tonsils are situated at the back of the palate, they are closer to the ears. Tonsils help kill pathogenic bacteria and this function makes them more susceptible to infection. Virus that causes common cold can cause inflammation of tonsils.

Symptoms: Bacterial or viral infection of tonsils can lead to ear pain when eating, drinking or swallowing. Doctors can easily notice enlarged and inflamed tonsils. The patient may complain of throat pain while swallowing. Headache, enlarged lymph nodes in the neck, fever and bad breath are some other symptoms which accompany ear pain when eating, during tonsillitis.

Causes: The Eustachian tube that connects the ears with the throat may get blocked or obstructed and may not function well. Upper respiratory infections, sinusitis, allergies, enlarged adenoids especially in children can affect the function of the Eustachian tube.

When you yawn or swallow, the tube opens up and closes again. If the tube is not functioning well, it can cause ear pain with every movement of the jaw while eating.

Symptoms: Sensation of ear fullness, popping in ear, ear pain while swallowing and yawning, difficulty in swallowing and headache are observed along with ear pain.

Causes: Any type of infection in the inner ear can lead to ear pain which may worsen while eating as the movement of the jaw can exert pressure on the sore inner ear. Formation of a cyst in the ear, trapped fluid or wax in the ear, etc. can lead to ear pain while eating.

Disorders of the nerves around ears can cause pain while chewing or swallowing. People with diabetes or a weak immune system are more susceptible to ear infections. Swimming in pools where hygiene is not maintained might lead to ear infection, in turn leading to pain in the ears.

Symptoms: The symptoms will vary according to the cause. The symptoms of inner ear infection would be slightly different from the symptoms of middle ear infection. Pain in the ear might be accompanied by other symptoms like nausea and vomiting, unsteadiness and imbalance, lack of concentration, hearing loss, ringing in ears, anxiety, involuntary eye movement and pain when the ear is touched or pulled. When ear pain comes along with any of these symptoms, the condition is indicative of ear infections.

Causes: Any jaw disorder or temporomandibular (TMJ) joint disorder can lead to pain in the ear while ingesting food. While investigating the cause of ear pain, doctors usually check whether TMJ disorder is causing the pain. TMJ connects the jaw to the skull bone and it is situated in front of the ears.

People with arthritis may suffer from damaged TMJ joint. The joint may get damaged during an accident as well. Any structural problem in TMJ joint can lead to pain while chewing and swallowing.

Symptoms: Movement of the jaw can worsen the pain in the ear while eating. Along with ear pain, pain and tenderness in the jaw would be experienced by the patient. Headache, facial pain, inability to open or close the mouth properly, are some other symptoms observed in case of TMJ syndrome. Locking of the joint can lead to improper contact of the upper teeth with lower teeth. When ear pain is experienced with these symptoms, it can be considered as arising from jaw problems.

Causes: Many times, pain experienced in the ear while eating is not due to ear problems but it is due to toothache. Poor oral hygiene, tooth cavities, lack of calcium in diet, excessive consumption of sugary foods, can result in weak teeth and tooth decay. Growth of bacteria in teeth cavities results in pain in the teeth, jaws and ears while eating.

Symptoms: Referred pain in the ear due to tooth decay is quite common. A decayed tooth can cause severe pain while eating and the pain can spread to the ears. Increased sensitivity, toothache while eating, inability to chew food properly, inability to brush the affected tooth area, indicate that the pain in the ear is due to tooth decay.

Finding out the exact cause of ear pain while eating is important. Correct diagnosis helps plan the correct treatment. Ear pain due to tooth problems needs proper dental treatment. Pain in the ear due to sinus problems need to be cured with proper medications.

You need to take respective corrective measures to get rid of the ear pain arising from other conditions. Pain in the ear resulting from fluid filled in the ear cavity, due to an infection can prove dangerous, if left unattended. If the symptoms are overlooked, the infection can even spread to the brain.

So ear pain should not be neglected. The inner ear structure is very delicate and it is necessary to consult an ENT (ear-nose-throat) specialist for the correct diagnosis and treatment of ear pain.