An injection in the cheek with a local anaesthetic could banish tinnitus, the ringing in the ears that affects around six million people in the UK.
The drug, lidocaine, is already widely used to numb the gums during dental procedures, and as a ‘nerve block’ before surgery.
Now research suggests injecting it into a specific bundle of nerves called the otic ganglion just beneath the surface of the inner cheek could also tackle tinnitus, by disrupting the transmission of rogue sounds to the brain.
Many of us suffer temporary tinnitus that lasts no more than a few hours, after attending a loud concert or having a cold, but for around one in 100 people, the ringing is a long-term problem.