Airway Restriction

If you have nasal airway obstructions, then you know you have no choice but to breathe through your mouth, which can be distracting, annoying and uncomfortable. Everything from sleeping, to talking, to eating is challenging when you experience nasal airway obstruction, but our providers help you address nasal airway obstruction, which more often than not is caused by enlarged turbinates.

Covered by mucous membranes, turbinates are tiny, bony structures that can be found in your nasal passages. They help in the humidification, heating, filtration, and conduction of the air you breathe. Turbinates can become inflamed, irritated and swollen, often due to the negative effects of environmental irritants, including household chemicals or allergies, all of which can result in the obstruction of your nasal pathways. In those instances where turbinates are not to blame, it can be due to physiological circumstances, such as a deviated septum, or perhaps significant hormonal changes, including those that occur during pregnancy. It is possible that variations in the size of the turbinate can occur throughout the day, even simply brought about by the position of your head, as lying down or standing up changes the head’s position and can affect turbinates.

Treatment of Nasal Airway Obstruction

Life is uncomfortable when you have nasal airway obstructions blocking your ability to breathe. When it comes to treating turbinate enlargement and addressing airway obstructions, the use of nasal medications or traditional medical therapy that can include avoiding allergens and irritants is at times successful, but not always sufficient, and in certain instances, turbinate enlargement doesn’t respond well to medical management.

In those cases where turbinate enlargement doesn’t respond well to medical management, we may recommend the use of Coblation®, which is a speedy but gentle, and highly advanced technology that is used to shrink and remove your tissue from inside the turbinate. The use of high-frequency energy combined with a saline helps to reverse the effects of nasal obstruction, rather than relying on a heat-driven process. Treatment is designed to preserve the healthy tissues surrounding an obstruction and to have outpatients returning home just a short time after their procedure is completed.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are Turbinates?

Nasal turbinates are a vital part of your respiratory system, and they help to filter, clean, and warm up your air prior to it entering your lungs. Turbinates are bony structures that are covered by mucous membranes, located inside your nose, and they perform their tasks as air glides over them when you inhale.

Why Is My Nose Always Obstructed?

Obstruction of your nasal airway is generally caused by enlarged turbinates, and conditions such as allergies are what cause this enlargement or inflammation. The subsequent irritation of your turbinates winds up blocking your nasal airway as a result. In certain instances, some patients can have excessively large turbinates, forming an obstruction in your airway that renders regular breathing challenging and difficult.

What Are My Treatment Options?

Non-surgical approaches typically start with antihistamines and nasal decongestants, and if these approaches are unsuccessful, surgical options may be pursued including Coblation® turbinate reduction. Coblation® turbinate reduction helps patients who find standard treatments insufficient for providing maximum relief. This medical innovation works to deliver fast, effective, and sustainable relief, with results that are immediate.

What is Coblation®?

Bipolar high-frequency energy powering a low-temperature plasma field that utilizes a saline-based medium is the key to how Coblation® is able to gently shrink and remove soft tissue in your turbinates, thus effectively reducing any nasal airway obstruction.

Do you or a loved one suffer from having a chronically dry throat and mouth or an obstructed airway? If so, then it’s possible that enlarged turbinates are the trigger of the symptoms you are currently enduring. We offer cutting-edge treatment options for addressing your issues. If you live in Holland, Grandville, Grand Haven, South Haven, Northeast Grand Rapids or any of the neighboring areas, then please contact Michigan ENT & Allergy Specialists for your personal consultation.