Nasal Obstruction Treatment in Denver, CO
Does your nose feel stuffed up, even when you don’t have a cold? Is it harder to breathe out of one side of your nose than the other? Do you get colds more often than your friends and family? If so, you may suffer from nasal obstruction, or blockage, of your nasal airways. At Advanced ENT & Allergy Center, we offer a variety of treatment options for nasal obstructions, based on your specific issues and root causes.
What Causes Nasal Obstructions?
Both temporary and anatomical factors can cause nasal obstructions. Most sinus obstructions are short-lived, and will disappear on their own. Common temporary causes for nasal congestion include:
- Chronic sinusitis
- Sinus infection, cold or flu
- Allergies
- Medications (blood pressure medicine)
If your nasal congestion lasts for more than a week or two, we recommend you schedule a consultation with an ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) doctor. An ENT specialist can discuss your treatment options and determine if your chronic nasal obstruction is due to something more severe, including:
- Deviated septum (cartilage in the nose is off-center)
- Enlarged turbinates (bony structures inside the nose)
- Enlarged adenoids (blocking the back of the nose)
- Tumors (benign or cancerous)
- Polyps (benign growths in the nose)
- Systemic diseases
Nasal Obstruction Treatment & Surgery Options
Because there are so many different causes of sinus obstruction, there’s no one-size-fits-all nasal obstruction treatment option. If you suffer from chronic nasal congestion, we recommend scheduling an appointment, either telehealth or in-person, with one of our ENT doctors. We’ll carefully examine your nose and perform an endoscopy to determine the cause of your nasal obstruction, then decide on a treatment plan together.
Depending on the source of your nasal airway obstruction, treatment may include:
- Avoiding known allergens
- Nasal and sinus irrigation
- Humidifier
- Changing your sleep position
- Medications (antibiotics or antihistamines)
- Nasal steroid sprays
If your sinus obstruction is due to an anatomical issue like a deviated septum or nasal polyps, you might suffer from chronic nasal obstruction. If this is the case, we may suggest nasal obstruction surgery to alleviate symptoms long-term.
Nasal Polyps
Nasal polyps are non-cancerous tissue growths that occur inside of the nasal cavity. While they are typically very small, they can obstruct airflow in the nasal passages and lead to congestion, breathing issues and sinus infections.
Treatment for Nasal Polyps
Both medication and surgery can be effective nasal polyps treatments. We recommend you consult a specialist, like an otolaryngologist (ENT), to help choose a treatment plan that is right for you. Anti-inflammatory medications, such as oral or nasal steroids, can reduce the size of your nasal polyps and help alleviate symptoms. However, if your nasal polyps are large and cannot be treated with medications, a nasal polyp surgery procedure is recommended.
– What Our Patients Say –
“I had a wonderful experience with Dr. Menacof and his staff. The office runs very smoothly and efficiently. All my questions were always answered. I had a successful surgery and I am very satisfied with my results. I would 100% recommend Advanced ENT & Allergy to everyone.” -Melissa S.
Deviated Septum
A deviated septum is a very common condition where the wall that separates your nostrils is off-center, causing one nasal passage to be smaller than the other. A severe deviated septum can affect your ability to breathe well and sleep soundly.
Treatment for Deviated Septum
If you have a deviated nasal septum, treatment varies based on the severity of your condition. If we can, we’ll focus on managing symptoms to alleviate breathing discomfort. These include medications like decongestants, antihistamines and nasal steroid sprays. If you have a deviated septum and symptoms that cannot be managed with medications, our doctors may suggest deviated septum reconstructive surgery, or septoplasty, to correct your nasal septum deviation.
Enlarged Turbinates
Turbinates are the inner structures of your nose that hang down from the inside. When your nose gets stuffy, this is often due to turbinates swelling and filling up most of the rest of the room inside your nasal cavity. The larger your turbinates are naturally, the easier it is for swelling to cause your turbinates to partially block your airways. Turbinates can swell and cause nasal congestion in response to all kinds of things including allergies, infection, irritation from pollution or cigarette smoke, pressure changes, temperature changes, chemicals, and perfumes. Turbinate reduction procedure can be another long term solution to consider when treating nasal obstruction.
Denver’s Nasal Obstruction Specialists
At Advanced ENT and Allergy, we have decades of experience diagnosing and treating various nasal airway obstruction issues. Are you ready to experience freedom from your nasal congestion issues?