Tonsillitis

When you need a tonsilitis specialist in Harlem, Manhattan or Brooklyn, call expert ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctors at the Century Medical & Dental Center. While tonsillitis doctors are best suited to remove your tonsils, they also find any underlying cause for the infection that caused your condition. They quickly diagnose and treat associated symptoms like sinus infections and sore throats. If you or your child needs to have your tonsils examined to prevent serious consequences, call the best NYC ENT doctors today for an appointment.

Do I Need My Tonsils?

Your tonsils are oval-shaped pads at the back of your throat. They’re part of your lymphatic system, designed to trap germs that can cause illness. Tonsils also fight off bacteria that enter through your nose or mouth. If your tonsils become infected, it’s called tonsillitis, which causes throat pain and swelling. Tonsilitis most often affects children, but also occurs in adults.
While your tonsils are part of your immune system, if they continually get infected, you can have them removed in a procedure called a tonsillectomy. Your body then finds other ways to compensate and fight off infections.

Frequent sore throats may be a sign that you or your child need to have your tonsils removed. If you’re looking for a tonsillitis specialist in New York City, turn to the Century Medical & Dental Center. These expert ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctors determine the cause of your recurring sore throats and recommend the best course of treatment.

What Are the Symptoms of Tonsillitis?

Sore throats are common, as they result from any number of causes, ranging from seasonal allergies to colds and flu. Having a sore throat doesn’t mean tonsillitis, but you need to see a tonsillitis specialist if you still have your tonsils to ensure they’re not the cause.

If your tonsils do become infected, symptoms usually come on quickly and may include:

• Red swollen tonsils
• Sudden sore throat
• Painful sores or blisters on your throat
• Difficulty swallowing
• A stiff neck
• Headaches
• Loss of appetite
• Fever
• Swollen lymph glands in your neck or jaw
• Stomach aches
• Bad breath
• Pain in your ears

In very young children who can’t express when they have a throat infection, you may notice excessive fussiness and drooling. Their voice may sound muffled and they may resist efforts to feed them. Sometimes, only a tonsillitis doctor who looks down your throat and takes cultures can detect the symptoms.

What Causes Tonsillitis?

You usually get the infection by contact with an infected person. Tonsillitis is a contagious illness, spreading easily from one person to another.

The cause of tonsillitis include:

• Viruses. Viral infections are the most common cause of tonsillitis. The viruses that cause tonsillitis are similar to the viruses that cause the common cold.
• Bacteria. The bacteria that most commonly cause bacterial tonsillitis is Group A Streptococcus, which is the same type of bacteria that causes strep throat.

Tonsillitis caused by a virus is usually mild and runs its course quickly. Tonsillitis that’s caused by bacteria tends to have more severe symptoms.

Just like the way viruses and bacteria spread the common cold and other respiratory illnesses, both viruses and bacteria can lead to tonsillitis in different ways, such as:

• Inhaling airborne particles that have spread from an infected person’s coughing or sneezing
• Touching a surface that’s contaminated and then touching your mouth or nose
• Sharing drinks, food or utensils

What Factors Increase the Risk of Tonsillitis in Adults?

Tonsillitis is often thought of as a childhood condition, but adults with tonsils can get tonsillitis.

Factors that increase the risk of developing tonsilitis include:

• Frequent contact with children. Teachers, childcare workers, parents and grandparents who spend a lot of time around children are at an increased risk of getting tonsillitis.
• Tonsils still intact. Adults who didn’t have tonsillitis as children and never had their tonsils removed are still at risk of tonsillitis.
• Advanced age. Elderly people often have a weakened immune system, making them more susceptible to contracting infections such as tonsillitis.

Working or living in crowded conditions increases the risk of infections, such as tonsillitis, sinus infections and throat infections.

Occupations that put you at risk include:

• Teaching in a classroom full of kids
• Nursing or other medical professions
• Managing a group home or nursing facility

What Are Some Treatment Options for Tonsillitis?

When you need a tonsillitis specialist for a prompt, accurate diagnosis, an ENT doctor is your best choice. Your ENT physician diagnoses tonsillitis by examining your throat, checking your lymph nodes for swelling and doing a throat swab to check for streptococcal bacteria. For bacterial tonsilitis, your doctor prescribes an antibiotic.

Before considering more invasive options, your doctor also may recommend you try home remedies, such as:

• Drinking plenty of liquids to keep your throat moist and prevent dehydration
• Easing discomfort with warm drinks like tea or broth
• Sucking on frozen treats, such as ice pops, to reduce pain
• Providing relief with throat lozenges
• Reducing discomfort with ibuprofen or acetaminophen
• Using a cool air humidifier to reduce dryness in the air
• Gargling with saltwater that’s made by mixing a half teaspoon of table salt with eight ounces of warm water

Viral tonsillitis usually resolves within 10 days or less. If bacterial tonsillitis isn’t treated, there’s a chance that more serious conditions can develop, including rheumatic fever, scarlet fever and kidney inflammation.

When Does a Tonsillitis Specialist Recommend Surgery?

Your Manhattan ENT doctor recommends surgery if tonsillitis re-occurs frequently, usually seven times in the course of a year, five times a year for two years in a row or three times a year for three years. Surgery may be recommended for bacterial tonsillitis that doesn’t improve with antibiotics or if you have breathing issues related to the condition.

If you need the surgical removal of your tonsils, known as a tonsillectomy, you can expect:

• Undergoing an outpatient procedure and preparing to go home the same day with a driver
• Having general anesthesia so you sleep through the procedure
• Letting your doctor remove your tonsils using electrocautery, carbon dioxide lasers, radiofrequency ablation or cold knife dissection
• Needing about 30 minutes for the procedure, followed by some time in recovery

Recovering from a tonsillectomy usually takes a couple of weeks. You may continue to experience throat pain for several days. Call your ENT doctor if you have difficulty breathing or experience symptoms that concern you, such as excessive bleeding or worsening pain.

When Do I Need a Tonsillitis Doctor in New York City?

Sore throats, as well as ear and sinus infections, are such common experiences that it’s difficult to determine whether or not you need to see an NYC tonsillitis doctor.

Signs that you or your child require an ENT doctor include:

• Difficulty swallowing
• A sore throat that doesn’t improve after 24 to 48 hours
• A sore throat accompanied by a fever
• Weakness or fatigue
• Fussiness in small children

The Century Medical & Dental Center provides comprehensive medical care with top-rated doctors in Brooklyn, Harlem and Manhattan. For expert care for sinus infections, ear infections and tonsillitis, as well as underlying conditions that may be responsible for the immune weakness, contact Century Medical & Dental Center today.