Gulf Coast Breathe Free can help patients with the diagnosis and treatment of acute sinusitis

Sinusitis is inflammation of the sinus passages, and it is considered to be "acute sinusitis" when it does not completely clear up within 30 days.

Dr. Matthew Blair of Gulf Coast Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers said that acute sinusitis is usually caused by a viral infection, such as a cold, but it can be caused by a dental abscess or allergies, which can cause facial pain.

“Facial pain is a common complaint I get a lot, but not all facial pain is sinus disease,” Blair said. “There are other things that can cause facial pain, but it's my job as an otolaryngologist to rule out the sinuses as a problem. Severe sinus disease usually causes a lot of facial pain, usually in the upper teeth. The reason is that the molar actually sits on the floor of the sinuses underneath the eyes, on the maxillary sinuses, and also the nerves that give sensation to the face gives sensation to your teeth. So you can get a lot of pain referred from your sinuses into your teeth in your face."

According to Mayo Clinic, acute sinusitis creates spaces inside your sinuses that become inflamed and swollen, which hinders drainage and causes mucus to build up. Acute sinusitis may make it tedious to breathe through your nose as the area near your eyes and face can feel swollen, along with throbbing facial pain or a headache.

Blair said that if you choose to take antibiotics every time you have a sinus infection, you could eventually develop antibiotic resistance.

“The antibiotics may work the first couple of times. But it may not work the third or fourth or the fifth or the sixth time because the bacteria in your sinuses have been taught how to avoid those antibiotics through biological processes,” Blair explained. “And this is always a worry, as prolonged antibiotics can have side effects. It's a drug taken by mouth or IV, and they can affect your kidneys, they can affect your digestive tract. You can have allergic reactions to antibiotics, too. Antibiotics are always the first treatment for acute sinusitis."

However, if you find that you have chronic sinusitis, which lasts 12 weeks or longer, another option to consider is balloon sinuplasty. This is a minimally invasive procedure that can be done right in the doctor's office, not in a hospital, and the recovery time is very minimal. The doctor uses balloon dilation to open up the sinuses, allowing patients to finally be able to breathe properly through their nose. The procedure has been proven very safe and effective for chronic sinusitis patients.

Those interested in evaluating their acute sinusitis symptoms can take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.

Gulf Coast Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers is committed to providing the best sinus and allergy relief in the entire Panhandle area, using the most advanced, proven patient-friendly techniques available. With 29 million Americans suffering from sinusitis and 242,000 annual chronic sinusitis ER visits, our mission is to provide minimally invasive options for needed long-lasting relief so that patients can get back to living. We call this mission Breathe Free and Live Well, and it is the North Star that guides us in each unique, collaborative patient interaction. To learn more about Gulf Coast Breathe Free Sinus and Allergy Center, please visit our website.