Your sinuses are cavities around your nasal passages. They’re usually filled with air, but when they’re filled with fluid — from allergies, a cold or even a deviated septum — they become blocked and infection sets in. Sinusitis is a painful condition that can hang on for months.
If you have symptoms of sinusitis, let Central Maine Healthcare’s ENT specialists provide the skilled care you need. We specialize in all types of treatments, include newer, minimally invasive procedures like balloon sinuplasty (BSP) to help you get faster to a life without pain.
About Sinus Infections
Sinusitis is an inflammation of the sinus lining, often caused by allergies or the common cold. If the sinus opening becomes blocked due to this swelling, normal mucus drainage may not occur, which in turn can lead to frequent sinus infections and related problems.
Common symptoms include:
- Facial pain or pressure
- Tenderness and swelling around the eyes, cheeks, nose and forehead
- Cough or congestion
- Difficulty breathing through the nose
- Dental pain
- Loss of smell or taste
- Fatigue
Sinusitis comes in a variety of forms, from acute, which is mild and last for a couple of weeks, to chronic, which can linger for 12 weeks or more. Whatever type you’re dealing with, you’ll want to see a doctor, because the infection could also signal meningitis or even an infection in your bones.
Experience the Benefits of Balloon Sinuplasty
Your ENT at Central Maine will assess your symptoms and help you find the right treatment. If you’ve been diagnosed with chronic sinusitis and haven’t responded well to medication, you may be a candidate for balloon sinuplasty.
With this simple procedure, a small, flexible balloon catheter is inserted into the inflamed sinus. The balloon is inflated to gently widen the blocked sinus passageway and restore normal drainage. The catheter is then removed, leaving the sinuses open.
Balloon sinuplasty offers a variety of benefits compared to traditional treatments:
- Proven effective: Clinical studies have shown the procedure to be highly successful in relieving sinus symptoms and improving quality of life.
- Minimally invasive: Unlike conventional sinus surgery, BSP requires no cutting or removal of bone or tissue from the nose. That means significantly less pain and no scarring.
- Convenient: For certain patients, we can perform the procedure in the comfort of our office with local anesthesia, sparing you a trip to the operating room or the need for complete sedation.
- Safe: BSP is FDA-approved, with thousands of procedures performed and very low complication rates. It can also be an effective option for children with chronic sinusitis.
- Fast recovery: While healing time is a little different for everyone, most patients can
