When you think of seasonal allergies, spring may be the first season that comes to mind. But across the South—and especially here in North Texas—August can bring a new mix of allergy triggers, even while some summer allergens are still hanging around.
Late-summer weeds, especially ragweed, begin releasing pollen that can trigger symptoms well into the fall. At the same time, grasses may still be contributing to symptoms in some areas. And our warm, humid Southern climate means mold can be an allergy trigger throughout much of the year.
If you suddenly find yourself sneezing, congested, or reaching for the tissues, seasonal allergies could be to blame.
A stuffy or runny nose can make it easy to assume you’ve caught a cold, but certain symptoms may point toward allergies instead.
Common symptoms of seasonal allergies include:
Sneezing
Stuffy or runny nose
Itchy nose or throat
Itchy or watery eyes
Postnasal drip
Nasal congestion
One important clue is itching. According to clinical resources from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI), an itchy nose, eyes, or throat is common with allergic rhinitis but far less typical of a viral cold.
Allergy symptoms also tend to persist or return whenever you’re ehttps://www.google.com/search?q=https://www.aaaai.org/tools-for-banner-ads/conditions-library/allergies/rhinitisxposed to an environmental trigger, while a typical viral illness eventually runs its course in 7 to 10 days.
There isn’t just one culprit. Several outdoor allergens can overlap during late summer in North Texas:
Ragweed and other weeds: Weed pollen becomes an increasingly common trigger as summer progresses into fall. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), ragweed is one of the best-known offenders. Its lightweight pollen can travel hundreds of miles through the air, so you don’t need to have ragweed growing in your own yard to experience symptoms.
Grass pollen: Don’t count grass out just because summer is winding down. Depending on where you live and local weather conditions, grasses may continue contributing to allergy symptoms.
Mold: Warm temperatures, high humidity, and frequent rain create favorable conditions for mold. Outdoor mold spores can be found year-round in the South and may be especially troublesome during warm, wet weather.
That overlap can make late August and early fall a particularly frustrating time for people with multiple environmental allergies.
Reducing your exposure to allergens is a vital first step. Our team recommends reviewing our detailed Allergy Information Sheet for daily environmental controls, including:
Checking local pollen and mold counts via the National Allergy Bureau and limiting extended outdoor activity when levels are particularly high.
Keeping windows closed when outdoor allergen levels are elevated.
Showering and changing clothes after spending significant time outdoors to wash away stubborn pollen.
Avoiding bringing pollen-covered shoes and clothing into bedrooms.
Addressing excess moisture or humidity inside your home that can encourage indoor mold growth.
Talking with a healthcare provider about appropriate allergy medications and treatment options.
Depending on your symptoms, initial medical treatment may include antihistamines, targeted nasal sprays, or other daily therapies.
If you’re relying on over-the-counter medications but still struggling with congestion, sneezing, sinus pressure, or recurring symptoms, it may be time to find out what’s actually triggering your reactions.
Comprehensive testing at our specialized Allergy & Sinus Center can identify your exact environmental triggers. This allows your care team to develop a personalized treatment strategy. For patients whose symptoms aren’t adequately controlled with standard medications, long-term options like routine allergy shots or painless Sublingual Immunotherapy (SLIT) allergy drops may be recommended to build lasting tolerance.
In the South, allergy season doesn’t always fit neatly into one calendar season—but that doesn’t mean you have to live with the symptoms.
Ready to breathe easier? Review our primary ENT services or schedule an appointment with our specialist team in Frisco, McKinney, Plano, Anna, or Prosper today!
Pools, lakes, beaches and water parks are a great way to cool off during a hot Texas summer. But sometimes all that time in the water can lead to a painful condition known as swimmer’s ear.
The good news is that there are simple steps you can take to reduce your risk—and knowing the early signs can help you get treatment when you need it.
Swimmer’s ear, or otitis externa, is an infection of the outer ear canal.
It often develops when water remains trapped in the ear canal, creating a moist environment where bacteria can grow. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it can affect adults and children, although it’s especially common among kids.
Despite the name, swimming isn’t the only potential contributor. Irritation or damage to the skin inside the ear canal can also make it easier for an infection to develop.
Believe it or not – they’re not the same thing. A middle ear infection (otitis media) occurs behind the eardrum and is frequently associated with colds and other respiratory illnesses.
Swimmer’s ear affects the outer ear canal. As noted in clinical guidance from the Mayo Clinic, one telltale sign can be pain when the outer ear is gently tugged or pressure is placed on the small piece of cartilage just in front of the ear canal.
Other symptoms can include:
Itching inside the ear
Ear pain
Redness or swelling
Fluid or drainage from the ear
A few habits can help keep ears healthy during swim season:
Dry ears thoroughly after swimming: Tilt your head to each side to allow water to drain and gently dry the outside of the ear with a towel.
Keep objects out of the ear canal: Cotton swabs and other objects can irritate the skin inside the ear and remove protective earwax.
Consider ear protection if you’re prone to problems: A bathing cap, earplugs or custom-fitted swim molds may help keep ears dry.
Ask before using ear-drying drops: These aren’t appropriate for everyone. People with ear tubes, a perforated eardrum, ear drainage or an active swimmer’s ear infection should not use drying drops unless directed by a healthcare provider.
Don’t ignore persistent ear pain or drainage.
A healthcare provider can examine the ear canal and determine whether swimmer’s ear—or another condition requiring diagnostic testing at our Hearing Center—is responsible for your symptoms. Swimmer’s ear can typically be treated with prescription antibiotic ear drops.
Catching the problem and getting the appropriate treatment can help you get back to enjoying the rest of your summer comfortably.
Ear pain putting a damper on summer fun? Learn more about our practice or contact us to schedule an appointment with one of our ENT specialists in Frisco, McKinney, Plano, Anna, or Prosper today!
Occasional coughing while enjoying a meal or taking a quick sip of water happens to everyone. Usually, it just means a stray crumb or droplet went down the wrong way, and your body quickly coughs it out.
But dealing with frequent, regular swallowing difficulties is entirely different.
Many adults dismiss regular choking, throat tightness, or taking a long time to finish a meal as just a normal part of growing older. However, struggling to swallow is not an inevitable part of aging. It can actually be a sign of an underdiagnosed medical condition known as dysphagia (pronounced dis-FAY-jee-uh), which simply means having trouble swallowing.
Because June is National Dysphagia Awareness Month, we want to shed some light on this common but rarely talked about issue. Let’s look at how swallowing actually works, which symptoms mean it’s time to see a doctor, and how modern medical evaluations can help you eat and drink safely and comfortably again.
To understand why swallowing can break down, it helps to realize how incredible a single, normal swallow actually is. Swallowing isn’t just letting food drop down a passive pipe. It is a lightning-fast process that requires nearly 50 pairs of muscles and multiple nerves to work together in perfect harmony.
Think of it as a three-stage traffic control system:
When patients visit an Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) specialist for swallowing issues, the breakdown usually happens in that second throat stage. If your muscles are weak or your reflexes are delayed by even a fraction of a second, the protective trapdoor doesn’t close in time. When that happens, food or liquid slips into your breathing tubes instead of going to your stomach.
Because swallowing problems often develop slowly over time, many people adapt to them without even realizing it. You might start cutting your food into tiny pieces, avoiding restaurants, or sticking to soft foods just to make eating easier.
To help you figure out if your body is struggling, take a moment to answer these questions honestly. This checklist is based on a trusted clinical tool called the EAT-10 assessment that doctors use all over the world.
Swallowing Risk Checklist
□ Do you regularly cough, clear your throat, or choke while eating or drinking?
□ Does food or liquid frequently feel like it gets stuck in your throat or chest?
□ Do meals take you significantly longer to finish than they used to?
□ Have you started avoiding certain foods (like dry meats, bread, rice, or thin liquids) because they are scary or uncomfortable to swallow?
□ Have you lost weight without trying, or noticed frequent chest congestion?
The 2-Symptom Rule: If you answered yes to two or more of these questions, your swallowing mechanics might be experiencing a breakdown. Instead of changing your lifestyle around the problem, it is a good idea to have a chat with an ENT specialist or a speech therapist.
Ignoring a swallowing problem is risky. The biggest danger of an unsafe swallow is something called aspiration. This is the medical term for when foreign material—like food, liquids, or stomach acid—accidentally slips past your vocal cords and goes down into your lungs.
Normally, if something touches your airway, it triggers a massive, explosive cough to kick it out. But if a person’s nerve sensations are weakened—which can happen due to aging, past mini-strokes, or chronic acid reflux—food can slide right into the lungs without causing any cough at all. Doctors call this silent aspiration.
When oral bacteria, food bits, or liquids constantly slip into the lungs, they cause irritation and can trigger a severe, dangerous lung infection called aspiration pneumonia. Research shows that having dysphagia makes a person much more likely to develop this type of pneumonia, which often leads to serious hospital stays, especially for seniors.
Beyond the lungs, ongoing swallowing trouble can cause two other major health issues:
Dysphagia isn’t a disease on its own—it is a symptom that tells us something else is going on structurally or neurologically. When you visit an ENT clinic, our job is to find the root cause. Common reasons include:
Because swallowing requires perfect timing from your brain, any damage to your nervous system can throw it off. Swallowing problems are very common for people recovering from a stroke, or those living with conditions like Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), or ALS.
Just like the muscles in our arms and legs can lose strength as we get older, the muscles in our tongue and throat can weaken too. This can make it harder to push food down firmly and quickly.
Sometimes there is a physical roadblock in the throat. This could be a stricture (a narrowed spot in the tube), a small muscle pouch that traps food (Zenker’s diverticulum), a large thyroid gland, or tissue scarring from past radiation treatments for head or neck cancers.
When stomach acid regularly splashes up into the throat—a condition called GERD or “silent reflux” (LPR)—it can cause chronic swelling. This constant irritation leaves you with a persistent “lump in the throat” feeling and causes muscle spasms that make swallowing feel tight and difficult.
If your self-assessment suggests you might have an issue, scheduling an evaluation is the best next step. Checking a swallowing disorder is a highly precise, comfortable process. We use special tools to watch your throat muscles move in real-time so we can see exactly what is happening when you swallow.
Depending on your symptoms, your care team might use one of two main tests:
Finding out you have dysphagia does not mean you are stuck eating puréed baby food forever. Once we use our imaging tools to see exactly where the problem lies, we can build a personalized plan to help you eat safely and comfortably again.
Your treatment plan might include:
| Treatment Type | How It Safely Works | What It Accomplishes |
| Swallowing Therapy | Simple, targeted throat and tongue exercises guided by a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP). | Builds up muscle tone and speeds up your body’s natural airway-closing reflexes. |
| Easy Posture Tweaks | Learning simple physical adjustments, like tucking your chin down toward your chest before you swallow. | Changes the physical pathway of the food to naturally shield your windpipe. |
| Texture Changes | Temporarily changing to softer foods or using safe, flavorless thickeners to make thin liquids less slippery. | Slows down liquids, giving your throat muscles more time to close that protective trapdoor. |
| Reflux Management | Using medications or dietary tweaks to control chronic acid reflux or silent reflux. | Calms down swelling and muscle spasms, getting rid of that tight “lump in the throat” feeling. |
| Simple Medical Procedures | Quick, minimally invasive fixes, like gently widening a narrowed throat path or using targeted muscle injections. | Opens up physical roadblocks so food can glide down easily without getting stuck. |
Your ability to breathe easily, speak clearly, and enjoy a family meal without fear is incredibly important to your health and happiness. Coughing once in a while is normal, but constant throat clearing, feeling like food is stuck, or choking on water should never be ignored or accepted as “just a part of life.”
If you or a loved one checked off any of the boxes on our self-assessment, or if you find yourself changing how you eat just to stay safe, let our expert team give you answers. This National Dysphagia Awareness Month, take a step forward, protect your lungs, and bring the simple joy back to the dinner table.
When parents hear the words “tonsil surgery,” it’s natural to have questions—and maybe even a little anxiety.
Fortunately, the reality is reassuring.
Most children with large tonsils do not need surgery. The decision isn’t based on the size of the tonsils alone, but on how they’re affecting your child’s health and quality of life.
Here’s what every parent should know.
Tonsils are part of your child’s immune system and help recognize germs that enter through the mouth and nose.
They’re most active during early childhood, which is one reason they tend to be larger in younger children.
As children grow, the immune system develops many other ways to fight infection, and the tonsils become less essential.
Many children have large tonsils without any symptoms. However, enlarged tonsils can sometimes lead to:
Loud snoring
Pauses in breathing during sleep
Restless sleep
Mouth breathing
Difficulty swallowing
Frequent sore throats
Recurrent strep throat
Poor sleep quality
Daytime fatigue or behavioral concerns related to disrupted sleep
These symptoms—not the size of the tonsils alone—help determine whether treatment is needed.
Every child is different, but surgery may be considered when enlarged tonsils are causing significant symptoms or when throat infections become frequent enough to interfere with daily life.
Common reasons include:
Children who snore heavily, have pauses in breathing during sleep, or struggle with poor-quality sleep may benefit from having enlarged tonsils and adenoids removed to relieve pediatric obstructive sleep apnea.
If your child experiences frequent, documented episodes of strep throat or tonsillitis each year despite appropriate medical treatment, clinical guidelines from the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery suggest surgery may significantly reduce future infections.
Very large tonsils can sometimes make eating, drinking, or breathing comfortably more difficult.
Your ENT physician will review your child’s symptoms, medical history, and examination findings before recommending surgery.
A tonsillectomy is one of the most common pediatric surgeries performed in the United States.
The procedure:
Is performed under general anesthesia
Usually takes less than an hour
Is typically done as an outpatient procedure, allowing most children to go home the same day
Your child’s surgical team will carefully monitor them throughout the procedure and recovery.
Recovery varies from child to child, but according to clinical guidance from MedlinePlus, most families can expect:
A sore throat for about 7–10 days
Plenty of fluids to stay hydrated
Soft, cool foods while healing
A gradual return to normal activities
Time away from school and sports based on your surgeon’s recommendations
Your care team will provide detailed instructions to help keep your child comfortable and support a smooth recovery.
This is one of the most common questions parents ask.
The answer is reassuring: No.
The immune system has many ways to protect the body, and removing the tonsils does not appear to increase a child’s risk of future infections. Children continue to build healthy immune defenses through many other tissues and immune cells throughout the body.
It may be time for an evaluation if your child:
Snores most nights
Has pauses in breathing while sleeping
Frequently gets strep throat or tonsillitis
Has difficulty swallowing because of large tonsils
Breathes primarily through their mouth
Has persistent bad breath related to tonsil problems
Isn’t sleeping well or seems unusually tired during the day
You don’t need to decide whether your child needs surgery before making an appointment. That’s our job!
Many families leave their visit with reassurance that surgery isn’t necessary. Others learn about treatment options that can help their child breathe easier, sleep better, and experience fewer infections.
The goal of an ENT evaluation isn’t to recommend surgery—it’s to understand why your child is having symptoms and identify the best path forward.
Sometimes that means watchful waiting.
Sometimes it means medication or additional testing.
And sometimes surgery truly is the option that offers the greatest improvement in your child’s health and quality of life.
If you’re wondering whether your child’s tonsils could be contributing to frequent sore throats, snoring, or sleep problems, our medical team at ENT Tex is here to help.
Schedule an appointment with ENT Tex to discuss your concerns and learn about the treatment options that are right for your child.
You may want to schedule an appointment if your child:
✓ Snores three or more nights a week
✓ Has frequent strep throat or tonsillitis
✓ Breathes through their mouth most of the time
✓ Has difficulty swallowing because of enlarged tonsils
✓ Seems tired despite getting enough sleep
✓ Has pauses in breathing while sleeping
✓ Has recurrent sore throats that keep them home from school
An evaluation doesn’t automatically mean surgery. Often, it’s simply the first step toward understanding what’s causing your child’s symptoms and finding the right solution.
Here is the customized blog post for ENT Tex ([https://enttex.net/](https://enttex.net/)). All internal links connect directly to live main pages on ENT Tex’s domain, and external links point directly to established, authoritative medical organization resources—with zero search engine query links, tracking parameters, or unverified subpages.
A soft snore after a long day or during a cold probably isn’t cause for concern. But if your child snores most nights, breathes loudly while sleeping, or seems restless in bed, it’s worth paying attention.
Many parents are surprised to learn that regular snoring isn’t considered a normal part of childhood. In some cases, it can be a sign that your child isn’t getting the healthy, restorative sleep they need to grow, learn, and thrive.
The good news is that many causes of chronic snoring are treatable, and an evaluation can help determine whether your child would benefit from additional care.
Occasional snoring is common. Children may snore temporarily when they have:
A cold
Seasonal allergies
Nasal congestion
A temporary upper respiratory infection
As these conditions improve, the snoring usually resolves as well.
If your child snores three or more nights each week, however, it’s worth discussing with your pediatrician or one of our ENT specialists.
Watch for these common signs while your child sleeps:
Loud or frequent snoring
Mouth breathing
Restless sleep or tossing and turning
Pauses in breathing
Gasping or choking sounds
Sweating during sleep
Sleeping in unusual positions, such as with the neck extended
Not every child will have all of these symptoms, but persistent snoring combined with any of these signs deserves evaluation.
Poor-quality sleep doesn’t always look like tiredness. Instead, children may experience:
Difficulty paying attention
Irritability or mood changes
Hyperactivity
Trouble waking up in the morning
Morning headaches
Daytime sleepiness
Difficulty concentrating at school
Parents are often surprised to learn that children with disrupted sleep sometimes appear more active, not less.
Several conditions can narrow the airway during sleep. The most common include:
These tissues sit in the back of the throat and behind the nose. When enlarged, they can partially block airflow while your child sleeps.
Allergies, chronic inflammation, or structural differences inside the nose can make it difficult for children to breathe comfortably through their nose.
Some children develop partial blockage of the airway during sleep, leading to disrupted sleep quality and, in some cases, pediatric obstructive sleep apnea.
Every child is different, so the evaluation is tailored to your child’s symptoms. Your visit may include:
A discussion of your child’s sleep habits and symptoms
A physical examination of the nose, mouth, throat, and neck
Evaluation of the tonsils and adenoids
Review of growth, development, and medical history
In some cases, additional testing, such as a sleep study, may be recommended according to clinical guidelines from the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery to better understand how your child is breathing during sleep.
Treatment depends on the underlying cause, as highlighted by sleep health guidance from MedlinePlus. Options may include:
Observation and monitoring
Allergy treatment
Nasal medications
Addressing chronic congestion
Removal of enlarged tonsils and/or adenoids when appropriate
Referral for a sleep study if indicated
Many children experience significant improvements in sleep quality, daytime energy, behavior, and overall well-being once the underlying issue is treated.
Consider scheduling an evaluation if your child:
Snores three or more nights each week
Breathes through their mouth most of the time
Has pauses in breathing during sleep
Sleeps restlessly
Frequently wakes during the night
Seems unusually tired, irritable, or has difficulty focusing during the day
Has enlarged tonsils along with snoring or sleep concerns
You don’t have to wait until symptoms become severe to ask questions. Sometimes the answer is simply reassurance. Other times, identifying and treating the cause of disrupted sleep can make a remarkable difference in your child’s health, behavior, and quality of life.
Healthy sleep is essential for growing minds and bodies. If you’ve been wondering whether your child’s snoring is something to worry about, our medical team at ENT Tex is here to help.
Schedule an appointment with ENT Tex to learn more about your child’s symptoms and the treatment options that may help them breathe easier and sleep more soundly.
You may want to schedule a pediatric ENT evaluation if your child:
✓ Snores 3 or more nights a week
✓ Breathes primarily through their mouth while sleeping or awake
✓ Exhibits pauses in breathing, gasping, or choking sounds at night
✓ Wakes up frequently or sleeps in unusual, hyper-extended positions
✓ Shows daytime symptoms like hyperactivity, irritability, or trouble focusing in school
An evaluation is simply a discussion about your child’s health. Identifying sleep issues early can help your child get the restful sleep they need.
If you’re a parent, chances are you’ve experienced at least one sleepless night with a child tugging at their ear, running a fever, or crying from pain.
Ear infections are incredibly common—and while they’re often part of childhood, repeated infections can leave parents wondering:
“Is this normal?”
“Should we keep trying antibiotics?”
“Does my child need ear tubes?”
The good news is that most ear infections get better with appropriate care. Understanding what causes them—and when it’s time to seek additional help—can make those decisions a little easier.
An ear infection occurs when fluid becomes trapped behind the eardrum and becomes inflamed or infected.
Young children are especially prone to ear infections because the tubes that connect the middle ear to the back of the nose (called the eustachian tubes) are shorter, narrower, and more likely to become blocked during a cold or upper respiratory infection.
Common risk factors include:
Frequent colds
Daycare exposure
Seasonal viruses
Family history of recurrent ear infections
Fortunately, many children experience fewer ear infections as they grow and their anatomy matures.
Symptoms vary depending on a child’s age. Older children may tell you their ear hurts, but younger children often show more subtle signs.
Watch for:
Ear pain or pulling at the ears
Fever
Fussiness or irritability
Difficulty sleeping
Trouble hearing or responding to sounds
Fluid draining from the ear
Loss of balance
Reduced appetite
Some children may only seem “off” during an infection. To learn more about identifying these symptoms early, review our post on when you may have an ear infection.
Not always. Some ear infections are caused by bacteria, while others are related to viruses or inflammation that can improve on their own.
Your ENT physician will determine whether antibiotics are appropriate based on your child’s age, symptoms, and examination. Learn more about our approach to specialized care on our when to see an ENT guide.
Even when antibiotics are prescribed, it’s important to complete the full course of treatment.
Many children will have an occasional ear infection. However, it’s worth talking with an ENT if your child has:
Three or more ear infections within six months
Four or more ear infections within one year
Persistent fluid behind the eardrum lasting several months
Hearing concerns
Ear infections that don’t seem to fully resolve
An evaluation can help determine why infections continue and what options may help.
Ear tubes (tympanostomy tubes) are one of the most common procedures performed in children, and also one of the most misunderstood.
They are not recommended simply because a child has had one or two ear infections. Instead, ear tubes may be considered when repeated infections or persistent fluid begin affecting hearing, development, or quality of life.
When appropriate, ear tubes can:
Reduce future ear infections
Restore hearing affected by fluid
Improve sleep and comfort
Decrease the need for repeated antibiotics
Your ENT will discuss whether tubes are appropriate based on your child’s individual situation as part of our pediatric otolaryngology care.
Yes—but often temporarily. Fluid trapped behind the eardrum can reduce hearing while it’s present, making speech sound muffled.
When fluid lingers for several months or infections become frequent, pediatric hearing evaluations may be recommended to ensure your child is hearing clearly during important stages of language development.
While not every ear infection can be prevented, these habits may help lower the risk:
Stay up to date on recommended childhood vaccinations.
Practice good hand hygiene to reduce the spread of viruses.
Minimize exposure to secondhand smoke.
Breastfeeding, when possible, may lower the risk during infancy.
Manage seasonal allergies through options like sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) or pediatric allergy care.
Encourage good hydration during colds to support healthy mucus drainage.
You don’t have to wait until ear infections become severe to ask for help.
Consider scheduling an evaluation if your child:
Keeps getting ear infections
Has fluid in the ears that doesn’t go away
Seems to have difficulty hearing
Is experiencing speech delays
Continues to have ear pain despite treatment
Has recurring infections that disrupt sleep, daycare, or family life
Many parents come to us simply looking for answers—and that’s exactly what we’re here to provide.
Sometimes the best treatment is reassurance. Other times, there are simple options that can help your child feel better and prevent future problems.
If your child is experiencing frequent ear infections or hearing concerns, our board-certified specialists at ENT Tex are here to help you understand what’s happening and develop the right plan for your family.
You can visit our main site at ENTTex or schedule an evaluation directly at any of our North Texas clinic locations:
Frisco Location (Centennial Medical Pavilion)
McKinney Location (Eldorado Office Park)
Plano Location (W. Plano Pkwy)
As parents, it’s completely normal to wonder:
“Is this something they’ll outgrow?”
“Should I call the pediatrician again?”
“Do we need to see a specialist?”
The good news is that you don’t have to figure it out alone.
Our pediatric ear, nose, and throat care specialists at Ear, Nose & Throat Associates of Texas treat many common childhood conditions affecting the ears, nose, throat, head, and neck. While many issues improve on their own, others benefit from an evaluation that can provide answers, peace of mind, and—when needed—a personalized treatment plan.
Most importantly, seeing an ENT doesn’t automatically mean your child needs surgery. In many cases, parents leave with reassurance, practical guidance, or simple treatments that help their child feel better.
Here are eight of the most common reasons families visit a pediatric ENT.
Ear infections are one of the most common childhood illnesses, especially during the first few years of life.
While occasional ear infections are expected, repeated infections may lead to hearing problems, missed school or daycare, poor sleep, and frustration for the whole family.
An ENT physician can help determine:
Whether infections are occurring more often than expected
If fluid remains behind the eardrum
Whether hearing has been affected
If additional treatment—such as ear tubes—may help reduce future infections
Remember, ear tubes are just one possible option. Learn more about our private practice approach to low-cost, high-quality ENT care at ENT Tex. Many children simply benefit from monitoring or medical management.
Does your child always seem stuffy—even when they don’t have a cold?
Persistent congestion may be caused by:
Allergies
Enlarged adenoids
Chronic sinus inflammation
Structural differences inside the nose
If congestion is affecting sleep, breathing, or daily activities, an ENT can help identify the underlying cause and recommend the most effective treatment.
Many children snore occasionally, especially during a cold.
However, loud or frequent snoring every night isn’t always normal.
Other signs to watch for include:
Pauses in breathing
Restless sleep
Mouth breathing
Daytime sleepiness
Difficulty concentrating
Behavioral changes
These symptoms may be signs of pediatric sleep-disordered breathing or pediatric sleep apnea—conditions that are often highly treatable. Explore when to consult an ENT for childhood sleep and breathing issues.
Large tonsils don’t always require treatment.
But when enlarged tonsils or adenoids begin causing problems, an evaluation may help.
Common symptoms include:
Difficulty swallowing
Frequent sore throats
Loud snoring
Sleep apnea
Mouth breathing
Chronic bad breath
An ENT can discuss whether observation, medication, or surgery is the most appropriate next step based on your child’s symptoms.
Children don’t always tell us when they’re having trouble hearing.
Sometimes the clues are subtle.
Watch for signs like:
Frequently asking “What?”
Turning up the television
Difficulty following conversations
Delayed speech
Trouble in school
Failing a school hearing screening
Early evaluation is important because hearing plays a critical role in language development, learning, and social interaction.
Not every speech delay is caused by hearing loss, but hearing is one of the first things that should be evaluated.
Even mild hearing difficulties caused by fluid behind the ears or chronic ear infections can affect language development.
ENT providers work closely with audiologists, pediatricians, and speech-language pathologists to identify contributing factors and ensure children receive the right support as early as possible. Learn more about our specialized pediatric ENT evaluations.
Children can catch many colds each year, especially during the early school years.
But if symptoms linger or keep returning, it may be something more.
An ENT can help when your child experiences:
Persistent nasal drainage
Congestion lasting more than 10 days
Facial pressure or pain
Frequent sinus infections requiring antibiotics
Ongoing symptoms despite treatment
Identifying the cause can help reduce repeated illness and improve your child’s quality of life.
Finding a lump in your child’s neck can understandably be concerning.
Fortunately, many neck masses in children are harmless and may simply be enlarged lymph nodes that develop while fighting an infection.
However, any lump that:
Persists for several weeks
Continues to grow
Returns repeatedly
Is present without illness
should be evaluated by your child’s pediatrician or an ENT.
Most causes are not serious, but it’s always best to have them examined to determine whether additional testing or treatment is needed.
One of the biggest misconceptions about seeing a specialist is that you need to wait until a problem becomes severe.
You don’t.
Many parents come to us simply because they have questions, and that’s exactly what we’re here for.
Whether your child has had one too many ear infections, snores every night, struggles with chronic congestion, or you’ve noticed a change that just doesn’t seem quite right, an evaluation can provide clarity and peace of mind.
Sometimes the answer is, “Let’s simply keep an eye on it.”
Sometimes there’s a simple treatment that can make a big difference.
And occasionally, we’ll recommend additional testing or a procedure—but only when it’s truly the best option for your child.
The important thing to remember is this:
You know your child best. If something feels off or you find yourself wondering whether it’s time to see a specialist, it’s always okay to ask.
Our goal isn’t to recommend unnecessary treatment—it’s to help children breathe easier, hear better, sleep more soundly, and thrive.
If you have questions about your child’s ears, nose, throat, hearing, sleep, or related concerns, our team at Ear, Nose & Throat Associates of Texas is here to provide expert guidance and compassionate care across our North Texas clinic locations.
Schedule an appointment with ENT Tex today to learn how we can help your child feel their best.
Few words cause parents to feel more anxious than “your child may need ear tubes.”
It’s understandable. Anytime a procedure is mentioned, questions naturally follow.
Fortunately, ear tube placement is one of the most common pediatric procedures performed today, and for the right child, it can make a remarkable difference in comfort, hearing, and quality of life.
Here’s what parents should know.
Ear tubes are tiny, hollow cylinders placed through the eardrum to allow air into the middle ear and help fluid drain properly.
Normally, the eustachian tube (the small passage connecting the middle ear to the back of the nose) keeps the middle ear ventilated.
In young children, these tubes are smaller and more horizontal, making them more likely to become blocked after colds or ear infections.
When fluid remains trapped behind the eardrum, children may experience:
Repeated ear infections
Temporary hearing loss
Ear pressure
Difficulty hearing speech clearly
Delayed speech or language development in some cases
Ear tubes help restore normal airflow and reduce fluid buildup.
Most children do not need ear tubes after just one or two ear infections.
Instead, your ENT physician will consider several factors, including:
Frequent ear infections (such as three in six months or four in one year)
Persistent fluid behind the eardrum lasting several months
Hearing loss caused by middle ear fluid
Concerns about speech or language development
Ongoing discomfort despite appropriate medical treatment
Every recommendation is personalized to your child’s unique situation according to clinical practice guidelines from the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery.
Ear tube placement (called a myringotomy with tube insertion) is performed under general anesthesia.
The procedure is brief and typically takes about 10 to 15 minutes.
During surgery, the ENT surgeon:
Makes a tiny opening in the eardrum.
Removes any trapped fluid.
Places a small tube into the opening.
Most children go home the same day and begin feeling like themselves within a day or two.
Parents are often pleasantly surprised by how quickly children recover. Most children experience little discomfort after surgery and can return to many normal activities within a day.
Your physician will provide instructions about activity, bathing, and follow-up visits.
This is one of the most common questions we hear.
For most children, swimming is perfectly fine after ear tube placement.
Depending on the type of water and your child’s individual situation, clinical guidance from MedlinePlus and your physician may suggest ear protection in certain settings, such as lakes or diving underwater.
Be sure to follow your ENT’s specific recommendations.
No—the tubes won’t prevent infections necessarily, but they often make infections:
Less frequent
Easier to treat
Less painful
Because the tube allows drainage, infections that do occur are often treated with antibiotic ear drops instead of oral antibiotics.
Most ear tubes remain in place for 6 to 18 months before naturally working their way out as the eardrum heals.
In most cases, they fall out on their own without requiring removal.
Your child will have periodic follow-up visits to ensure everything is healing as expected.
Ear tube placement has been performed safely in millions of children and has an excellent safety record, as documented by pediatric resources at the Mayo Clinic.
As with any procedure, there are potential risks, but serious complications are uncommon.
Your ENT will discuss the benefits and risks with you and answer any questions before recommending surgery.
Consider scheduling an evaluation if your child:
Keeps getting ear infections
Has fluid behind the ears that doesn’t go away
Isn’t hearing as well as usual
Has delayed speech along with recurrent ear problems
Has been prescribed multiple rounds of antibiotics for ear infections
An evaluation doesn’t automatically mean your child needs ear tubes. Often, parents simply leave with a better understanding of what’s happening, and a plan for what to do next.
The goal of ear tubes isn’t to perform a procedure—it’s to help children hear better, experience fewer infections, and spend less time feeling sick.
For many families, that means fewer sleepless nights, fewer missed school days, and fewer rounds of antibiotics.
If you’re wondering whether your child’s ear infections have become more than “just another ear infection,” our medical team at ENT Tex is here to help you understand your options and determine the best next step.
Schedule an appointment with ENT Tex to learn more about your child’s symptoms and explore personalized care options.
You may want to schedule a pediatric evaluation if your child:
✓ Has had 3 or more ear infections in 6 months (or 4 in a year)
✓ Has persistent fluid in the middle ear lasting 3 months or longer
✓ Shows signs of mild hearing loss or muffled hearing
✓ Experiences delays in speech development alongside ear infections
✓ Relies on frequent rounds of oral antibiotics for ear pain
An evaluation is simply a discussion about your child’s health. Many children are successfully managed without surgery.
Most of us rely on our sense of sound to navigate the world. But for many Americans, hearing loss can make it more difficult to interact. While one in four people in the United States aged 65 and older struggle with disabling hearing loss, that hearing loss may have begun as tinnitus. Let’s delve into what tinnitus is and when you need to see your ENT doctor or medical specialist.
Tinnitus is a condition that causes ringing and other related noises in a person’s ears. Many times, the noise that a person hears is caused by an internal condition within the ears or elsewhere in the body. Additionally, no one else can hear the noises or ringing that you’re hearing.
While tinnitus is a common problem, it is also a nuisance. In addition to affecting a person’s ability to hear clearly, this condition can affect a person’s balance. Ear ringing also primarily affects older adults, with 15% to 20% of the older population suffering from this condition.
Once you have made it known that you are suffering from ringing in your ears, your doctor will as you a series of questions, take some tests, and offer a remedy. Most of the time, doctors can trace ear ringing to an underlying problem that is affecting a patient.
You’ll want to be as detailed as you can when describing the ear ringing you’re experiencing. You also want to let your ENT doctor or medical professional know when the ear ringing began. Were you swimming? Did you hurt your head? Are you experiencing pressure in your sinuses? Did you chew food and noticed that your ear ringing began quickly afterward? The more information you can provide to your doctor, the more effectively they can treat your tinnitus.
While many people who suffer from tinnitus describe a ringing sound, there are other sounds that a person can hear that are equally as annoying and debilitating as incessant ringing. Many patients complain of hearing sounds that are similar to buzzing, roaring, ocean waves crashing on a rock, hissing, humming, and even clicking sounds. This may make it more difficult for a patient to understand what’s happening to them.
Since ENT doctors treat conditions of the mouth, nose, and ears, it’s vital that you describe the sounds you’re hearing in your ears with as much detail as you can. Believe it or not, different sounds in the ears may mean different conditions.
Oftentimes, ringing ears affect people who have just awakened from an evening of sleep. Then, a little while later, the noise in the ears is gone. If this has happened to you in just one instance, it may be a good idea to jot this down or document it. While you may be able to bypass a visit to your ENT doctor, it may be a good idea to see one if the ringing happens each morning or the noise in your ears sticks around.
A doctor will want to discuss the pattern of ear ringing or ear noise that you are having. Be sure to write down each time that the ear ringing occurs. If you find that you seem to have many instances during which you are experiencing ear noise, then it may be time to pay a visit to your doctor.
There may be a multitude of reasons that you have ringing in your ears. Were you taking a shower and accidentally hit the wall of your shower stall with your head? This may cause some ear ringing. You may also have some sort of blockage in your ears that could lead to some hearing issues. There are even certain medications that can aggravate and amplify ear ringing. Aspirin, for example, is known to cause ear ringing. Regardless of what is causing your ear ringing, you want to get to a doctor so that they can perform tests and remedy your tinnitus.
Your Plano, TX ear nose and throat doctor help treat that ear ringing that you have, along with sinus infections, throat issues, and more. As your experienced ENT in Plano, we offer comprehensive care for tinnitus. Make an appointment to come and see us today.
Laryngitis can cause a multitude of issues especially if you use your voice to make a living. While in many cases, your ability to speak can be restored within two to six weeks, it’s vital that you seek medical treatment from an ENT (ear, nose, and throat) specialist. Let’s delve into understanding laryngitis and how an ENT medical professional can help you now.
One of the biggest symptoms of laryngitis is a voice with hoarseness. Some other common symptoms of laryngitis include sore or dry throat, dry cough, feelings and sensations of tickling in the back of the throat, feelings of rawness in the throat, or you may have no voice at all. For any or all of these symptoms, you want to get to an ENT doctor fast. Ear nose and throat doctors will be able to give you a complete examination and provide the best course of treatment to restore your speaking voice.
There are several reasons that a person may succumb to laryngitis. Your ENT doctor may ask you what events did you participate in or your general health before the onset of your condition. The loss of a voice may be caused by a viral or upper respiratory infection. Illnesses such as a cold, sinusitis, or even bronchitis can cause a person to lose their voice.
Laryngitis can also develop due to drinking alcohol, cigarette smoke, or simply overusing your voice. Your ENT doctor will take the time to assess your condition while learning what led up to you losing your voice. It’s important that you seek the medical assistance of an ear nose and throat doctor to ensure that there are no underlying conditions that may be causing your voice loss.
Many people turn to home remedies to treat their lack of voice. Some people drink hot teas that include spices such as ginger, cinnamon, and even turmeric. A warm water and salt combination is also a popular remedy for people to treat their laryngitis. Folks will take equal parts of salt and warm water, place both in a glass, stir, and gargle with the mixture to combat laryngitis. Even though home remedies may take away the soreness and help to restore some of your speaking voice, you want to visit one of your ENT doctors to receive a comprehensive checkup.
As many of us rely on home remedies such as herbs, tea, and over-the-counter medications to treat laryngitis, there are certain circumstances that you should seek medical attention from ENT doctors immediately. Some of those circumstances include: you find yourself coughing up blood, you notice that you have a fever or feel very hot alongside the loss of your voice, you’re not able to breathe, and you’re drooling uncontrollably.
Laryngitis is a common ailment but can effectively be treated by quality ENT doctors. At Ear Nose and Throat Associates of Texas, we work hard to provide quality care for patients who are suffering from a lack of a speaking voice. You’ll receive a complete diagnosis of your issue while learning what may have caused it in the first place. Contact our dedicated, experienced ENT team today and restore your voice.