Voice Disorders

ENT Specialists

ENTs and Allergy Clinics located in Salt Lake City, UT; Murray, UT; Tooele, UT; Draper, UT; & West Jordan, UT

Hoarseness, voice loss, or difficulty with using your voice can be incredibly upsetting and disruptive to both your personal and professional life. In general, any voice problem lasting more than one week should undergo a full evaluation by an ear, nose, and throat surgeon specializing in the treatment of voice disorders. At ENT Specialists in Salt Lake City, Murray, Draper, Tooele, and West Jordan, Utah, the board-certified team has years of experience determining the cause of voice problems and developing customized treatments to restore your voice. To schedule an appointment, call the office or book online today.

Voice Disorders Q & A

What is a voice disorder?

Any condition which affects the vibration of the vocal cords or the muscles and nerves which carefully control the movement of the vocal cords can cause a voice disorder.

Voice disorders can range in severity and can cause symptoms ranging from subtle changes in the sound of your voice that only you notice, to severe changes in the voice making your voice barely recognizable or understandable to others.

What causes a voice disorder?

Problems with your vocal cords can develop because of physical changes in the cords, dysfunctional nerves or muscles, or straining your voice.

These are a few of the most common causes of voice disorders:

Laryngitis (inflamed voice box) due to infections, allergies, smoking, or acid reflux
Spasmodic dysphonia and vocal tremor
Age-related changes to the voice
Vocal overuse and misuse
Vocal nodules
Vocal polyps and mass lesions
Vocal fold paralysis
Vocal fold bowing
Reflux
Chronic hoarseness
Muscle tension dysphonia

You can strain your vocal cords by talking too much or shouting. Smoking, frequent coughing, or clearing your voice can also stress the vocal cords. Any type of voice misuse can lead to calluses or irritation on the vocal cords, which in turn causes a voice disorder.

After taking a detailed voice-related medical history, the team at ENT Specialists uses an advanced technology known as high-definition video stroboscopy to visualize the vocal cords in detail to help determine the cause of your voice disorder.

How do ENT specialists treat voice disorders?

A variety of treatments are available, depending on the cause of your voice disorder. The following are only a few examples.

Vocal rest
Voice therapy
Treatment of related conditions like allergies and acid reflux
Smoking cessation
Botox® injections
Filler or steroid injections

In some cases, such as polyps, nodules, cysts, or cancerous or noncancerous lesions of the vocal cords, or in cases of longstanding vocal cord paralysis or weakness of the vocal cords, your doctor at ENT Specialists may recommend a surgical treatment to improve your voice.

Surgical treatments of the vocal cords include:

Microlaryngoscopy procedures
Microflap procedures for delicate and precise removal of vocal cord lesions
Laser procedures
Vocal cord implants, known as thyroplasty
Nerve procedures including laryngeal reinnervation

For expert help for a voice disorder, call ENT Specialists today or schedule an appointment online.

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