If you’ve ever experienced ringing in your ears, it doesn’t mean someone far away is talking about you. Contrary to the old superstition, you’re experiencing a medical problem and should likely seek out an ENT.
Ear, nose and throat doctors provide consultation, diagnosis and treatment for a diverse range of conditions and disorders relating to the ears, nose, throat, head and neck region. These can manifest as problems from the simple to the severe, for all ages.
“We do everything from the neck up, except the eyes, brain and spinal cord,” says Dr. Mark Gilbert, a University of Missouri Health Care otolaryngologist. “A lot of what we treat isn’t life-threatening, but it really affects your day-to-day quality of life.”
Some ENTs pursue a specialized focus, such as:
- Pediatric otolaryngology: treatment of ENT problems in children
- Rhinology: treatment of the sinuses
- Laryngology: treatment of the voice and swallowing disorders
- Otology/neurotology: treatment of the ear and balance system
- Head and neck oncology: treatment of head and neck cancers
- Facial plastics and reconstruction: cosmetic surgery and reconstruction of the head and neck
When should you see an ENT?
When new symptoms present, an urgent care or primary care doctor often can be the first line of treatment. “If symptoms don’t resolve or become recurrent and initial treatment options and attempts are not working, then it’s a good idea to seek out an ENT specialist,” says Dr. Mark Newcomer, a clinical assistant professor of otolaryngology at the UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Exceptions include sudden hearing loss, neck masses or persistent voice changes, which could indicate something more serious or time-sensitive.
Whether a patient would need a referral before seeing an ENT specialist “depends on the parameters and regulations of their individual insurance plan,” Newcomer says.
Your visit
Your ENT physician will start with a history and a physical examination, which will likely involve shining a bright light into the troubled area. Depending on the condition, your provider might use a microscope or an endoscope to further inspect the area. Finally, they will make a recommendation for treatment, which might include additional testing, medication, therapy, a referral or even surgery. “Sometimes the recommendation might be to just observe and see back in a month to follow up,” says Gilbert.
Common reasons to see an ENT
Hearing loss: While progressive hearing loss is normal as you age, certain risk factors can accelerate that process, such as chronic noise exposure at work or acoustic trauma. “When a patient is consistently having trouble hearing, it’s reasonable to get their hearing tested,” Gilbert says. An ENT works closely with an audiologist to test hearing and fit patients who need them for hearing aids.
Sleep apnea or snoring: ENT specialists frequently treat sleep-disordered breathing, nasal airway obstruction, snoring and sleep apnea. “We try to determine the anatomic cause of the obstruction and then recommend appropriate treatment or intervention,” says Newcomer.
Pediatrics: Birth defects of the head and neck, ear infections, tonsil and adenoid infections, airway problems, and asthma and allergies are some of the issues an ENT treats in children. Placing tubes in a child’s ears to mitigate chronic infections is the most common pediatric surgery performed in the United States.
Throat issues: Swallowing complaints, as well as chronic sore throat, hoarseness, reflux, recurrent tonsil infections, throat tumors or masses, and airway and vocal cord disorders are frequently seen by an ENT.
Dizziness or vertigo: Multiple body systems, including your inner ear, work together to maintain balance. Vertigo is the sensation that you or the environment around you is in motion, even when you’re sitting still. An ENT can determine if the vertigo is being caused by issues within the ear.
Chronic sinus infections: You may have wrestled with the telltale symptoms of a sinus infection: nasal congestion, green or yellow nasal discharge or drainage, and facial pain and/or pressure over the sinuses. “When you’re having multiple sinus infections a year, there might be something structural within the sinus cavities that is preventing the sinuses from healing correctly or draining properly,” Newcomer says. “That’s where an ENT typically gets involved.”