Every year, millions of Americans suffer from sinus infections and the painful symptoms they can cause. While some mild infections may clear up on their own with a little TLC, others linger, increasing your risk of more widespread infection or other complications.
At ENT Specialists, our team specializes in helping patients recover from acute and chronic sinus infections, offering advanced treatment focused on improving symptoms and eradicating infection-causing germs. Here, learn the signs that mean it’s time to call our office and get the medical care you need to feel better.
While some infections start to feel better after a day or two, continuing to improve over the course of a week or so, other infections seem to linger on and on — or even get worse.
Persistent or worsening symptoms are clear indications that your body just isn’t able to clear the infection on its own, and it’s time to call our team for some extra help. We can determine if you need antibiotics to clear a bacterial infection or other therapies to clear your sinuses, improve drainage, or address a viral infection.
Nasal discharges routinely change color and consistency during a cold or allergy flare-up, but if your mucus is thick, yellow, or greenish, it’s often a sign of an underlying sinus infection.
In fact, the change in color indicates your immune system is hard at work fighting the infection and releasing byproducts that may appear yellow or green.
Often, mucus is accompanied by a sore throat, postnasal drip, and the next item on this list: facial pain and pressure.
Your sinuses are located behind your nose, cheeks, and lower forehead, so it makes sense that a sinus infection can cause discomfort and pressure in these areas. You might have pain in your jaw, ear, or teeth, as well.
When pain becomes intense, one-sided, or worsens when bending forward, it may signal a more serious infection. Increasing pain is a sign that inflammation is building rather than resolving. A visit with our team can get you the help needed to relieve painful pressure and prevent complications.
A low-grade fever may clear up on its own, but if you have a fever that’s high or that lingers, it’s a sign you need medical attention to clear the infection and prevent worsening problems. Fatigue is another sign of infection, developing when your body uses extra resources to fight an infection.
Both fatigue and fever are often accompanied by facial pain, congestion, and sinus headache. Our team can prescribe a therapy to help clear all your symptoms while restoring sinus health.
Recurrent sinus infections or symptoms lasting longer than 12 weeks may indicate a condition called chronic sinusitis.
Ongoing congestion, postnasal drip, and pressure could be associated with structural issues in your sinuses or nasal cavity, allergies that require management, or chronic inflammation. These cases usually need more than short-term treatment to keep them under control and prevent future sinus infections.
Our team performs in-depth evaluations to determine the root cause of your sinus symptoms, providing medication and other therapies focused on overcoming infections and relieving painful symptoms.
If you have a sinus infection or suffer from recurrent infections, we can help. To learn more, request an appointment online or over the phone with the team at ENT Specialists in Salt Lake City, Murray, Magna, Draper, and Tooele, Utah, today.
