Treatment Options for Nasal Septal Deviation

A nasal septal deviation can affect your ability to breathe through your nose. Your ear, nose, and throat specialist can help. Dr. Christine Gilliam at Everyone’s ENT & Sinus Center in San Antonio, TX, provides a wide range of ear, nose, throat, and sinus services, including treatment of a nasal septal deviation.

What You Need To Know About a Nasal Septal Deviation

You may have a deviated septum due to a genetic bone abnormality or trauma to your nose. When you have a deviated septum, you might experience:

• Problems breathing through your nose
• Reduced oxygen flow to your organs
• Sinus headaches and sinus infections
• Increased respiratory symptoms when you have a cold or the flu
• Louder and more frequent snoring

A deviated septum can also increase your risk of developing sleep apnea, a serious sleep disorder which reduces oxygen to your vital organs. Your ENT doctor can test you for sleep apnea and recommend types of sleep apnea treatment, including:

An oral mandibular advancement appliance, which is a dental appliance that holds your lower jaw forward. It keeps your airway open during the night.

A continuous positive airway pressure appliance, also known as a CPAP, which provides a constant supply of oxygen, which you breathe through a nosepiece during the night.

Your ENT doctor can treat a nasal septal deviation by reducing swelling in the lining of the nose. This increases the size of the nasal airways to make breathing easier. Your ENT doctor may recommend:

• Saline flushes
• Decongestant medications
• Antihistamine medications
• Nasal steroid sprays

In some cases, nasal surgery, known as septoplasty, may be recommended to realign the nasal septum. These are just a few quick facts you need to know about septoplasty:

• It’s an outpatient procedure, so you need to bring a driver with you who can drive you home afterward
• Septoplasty is performed under general anesthesia and takes 25 to 45 minutes
• Septoplasty is performed completely through the nose, with no external scarring or change to the exterior of the nose
• Nasal splints are placed to hold the septum in place during healing
• Septoplasty requires 5 to 7 days of healing time, so it’s best to be off work for this period
• The splints are removed during a post-operative visit one week after your procedure

To read more detailed information about nasal septal deviation treatment please click here.

Want To Know More?

To find out more about treatment options for nasal septal deviation, talk with an expert. Call Dr. Gilliam at Everyone’s ENT & Sinus Center in San Antonio, TX. You can reach her in the office by calling (210) 647-3838, so call today.