Your outer ear is what you see when you look in the mirror, but the areas where many problems can occur happen further in, specifically in your middle ear. This part of your ear consists of the eardrum (tympanic membrane), tympanic cavity (the basic structure of the inner ear), ossicles (sound-conducting bones), and the eustachian tube (auditory tube). All of these parts work in concert to carry sound waves from the outer ear to your inner ear so the signals can be transmitted to your brain.
Conditions that affect this part of the ear may require ear tubes (a surgery also known as a tympanostomy) to remedy them. Unfortunately, there are also a number of misconceptions about this procedure and its effects on your ears, so let’s help set the records straight by looking at what ear tubes are, which conditions require them, and what people often get wrong about the treatment.
If you live in the Kissimmee or Orlando, Florida, area and you’re struggling with ear problems, Drs. Wade Han, Elvira Livigni De Armas, and the skilled medical staff at Florida Ear Nose Throat & Facial Plastic Surgery Center can help.
A tympanostomy is a surgery that places tiny, hollow cylinders in the eardrum to manage conditions affecting the middle ear, and while very common among children, it’s also done on adults as well. Getting this surgery done can help to reduce the use of oral antibiotics, reduce fever and pain, restore and improve hearing, help lower sleeping problems, and improve speech development in children.
When you’re dealing with upper respiratory infections, bacteria can get in and cause inflammation and infections (also known as acute otitis media) as well as fluid buildup (effusion), and if these conditions persist over three months, ear tubes may be necessary to treat them. Children get treated for this more often than not, but in adults, it’s frequently used to help with barotrauma, a condition resulting from changes in air pressure. It’s important to get these problems under control because they can lead to speech problems or permanent hearing loss if not treated properly.
Here are some myths people struggle with when it comes to the procedure:
This is based on rumors that once your child gets this done, you will rely on this procedure in the future to protect your middle ear from infection. Children outgrow the need for them as their bodies develop, specifically as their eustachian tubes and immune systems improve over the years.
If you think your child may need this in the future, you might be led to think there are permanent ear tubes that can be placed to rid yourself of the problem. However, no such thing exists; as mentioned before, kids outgrow the need for these things and often don’t need them more than three times (which itself is rare). This is always a temporary solution.
Children are always putting their fingers and other things where they don’t belong, and this may lead you to think that they can somehow dislodge or otherwise remove the tubes after they’re put in. But kids can’t reach the tubes with their fingers, and no physical activity will loosen them.
This is based on fears of water getting in your child’s ears and may cause even more concern for water at beaches or lakes. However, there is no evidence that ear tubes are more prone to further infection due to water getting in, chlorinated or not.
Simply because the surgery allows fluid and airflow to help with infections and other problems doesn’t mean these problems never come back. Again, this temporary solution helps children as their ears develop.
Ear tubes are a temporary fix for problems that happen frequently in developing ears but can also affect adults. They don’t get removed easily, they don’t cure infections, and you won’t need them frequently. However, if you need them or treatment for other ear problems, make an appointment with Drs. Han, Livigni De Armas, and the Florida Ear Nose Throat & Facial Plastic Surgery Center team today.
