Doctors who deal with disorders and conditions of the ear, nose, and throat (ENT), as well as connected areas of the head and neck, are known as ENT doctors or Otolaryngologists. Patients dealing with common problems like swimmer’s ear, tonsillitis, and Down’s syndrome are often referred to ENT doctors for treatment. If you have never been to an ENT doctor, but have been dealing with discomfort from the neck up, here are five signs that you need to visit an ENT doctor:
- You Have Allergies and Migraines
If you have allergies that affect your nose, nasal cavities, or sinuses, which makes it difficult to breathe or smell things, you may need to see an ENT doctor. Asides from treating people battling with allergies, ENT doctors also help people that are dealing with chronic sinusitis or nasal polyposis disease, chronic nasal obstructions, deviated septum, and aspirin-resistant migraines.
- You Can’t Sleep
Sleep is the body’s most important recovery mechanism, and without regular and quality sleep, the body begins to fall into illness. Conditions, like snoring and sleep apnoea, can at best, mess up the quality of your sleep and at worst, fatally interrupt your breath. ENT doctors can help treat the above-mentioned issues and put you back on the path to sleeping soundly at night.
- Your Hearing is Deteriorating
If you find that you have a chronic or acute ear infection that not only hurts but affects your hearing, you should go to an ENT surgeon. You should also consider going to an ENT doctor if you have a persistent case of Tinnitus – aka ringing in the ears. Disorders that affect your hearing can also cause vertigo and the inability to maintain one’s balance. Such symptoms should also prompt you to visit an ENT doctor.
- You’ve Been in a Car Accident
Passengers involved in a car accident often suffer from temporomandibular joints injury (aka “whiplash”). Whiplash can result in symptoms like neck pain, jaw tenderness, pain when chewing, aching pain in or around the ear, and ringing or buzzing in the ear. A person with these symptoms should go straight to the hospital after an accident to be checked by a general practitioner. It is also important that they are referred to an ENT doctor who specializes in such cases for further examination.
- Your Throat Is Swollen
Swelling in the throat is definitely a reason to head to the ENT doctor’s clinic. Issues like salivary gland disease brought on by infection or injury can cause symptoms of throat swelling. The throat can also be affected by voice disorders and vocal cord lesions, which are pretty common among professional singers.
Disorders of the ear, nose, and throat have very far-reaching effects, as the top of the body controls the rest of it. If you are dealing with any of the symptoms above, reach out to the brilliant doctors at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Private Healthcare. Their ENT unit is one of the largest in the UK, and they offer a comprehensive range of treatments for inpatients and outpatients. Singapore has also invested into building clinics in order to treat such disorders mentioned. In fact, they now have ENT Singapore doctors who have specialized into this medical field to treat patients having the said concerns.