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Penn Medicine Becker ENT

Call one of our locations now!

  • Cape May, NJ: (609) 899-7200
  • Freehold, NJ: (732) 375-9550
  • Hillsborough, NJ: (908) 271-2102
  • Lawrenceville, NJ: (609) 303-5163
  • Monroe, NJ: (609) 831-0779
  • Mt. Laurel, NJ: (609) 949-5940
  • Mullica Hill, NJ: (856) 478-3111
  • Philadelphia, PA: (215) 671-6330
  • Philadelphia, PA: (215) 929-8301
  • Plainsboro, NJ: (609) 831-0807
  • Princeton, NJ: (609) 430-9200
  • Princeton, NJ: (609) 759-8500
  • Robbinsville, NJ: (609) 436-5740
  • Sewell, NJ: (856) 589-6673
  • Voorhees, NJ: (856) 565-2900
  • Voorhees, NJ: (856) 772-1617
  • Yardley, PA: (267) 399-4004
Penn Medicine Becker ENT
Penn Medicine Becker ENT

  • About Us
    • Our Providers
      • Physicians
      • Nurse Practitioners
      • Audiologists
      • Speech-Language Pathologists
    • Reviews
  • Services
    • Allergy
      • Allergy & Sinus Comprehensive Care Program
    • Head & Neck
      • GERD
    • Nose & Sinus
      • Septoplasty
      • Sinus Surgery
      • Turbinate Surgery
      • Balloon Sinuplasty
      • Nasal Valve Surgery
      • New technologies
    • Pediatric ENT
      • Pediatric Snoring & Sleep
      • Ear Infections
      • Tonsil Infections
      • Allergy
      • Airway Problems
      • Pediatric Asthma
      • Symptoms
    • Snoring & Sleep
      • Snoring
      • Sleep Apnea
    • Ears and Hearing
    • Voice & Swallowing
      • Voice Disorders
      • Professional Voice
      • Swallowing Disorders
  • Locations
    • Cape May Court House, NJ
    • Freehold, NJ
    • Hillsborough, NJ
    • Lawrenceville, NJ
    • Monroe, NJ
    • Mt. Laurel, NJ
    • Mullica Hill, NJ
    • Philadelphia, PA – South Street
    • Philadelphia, PA – Walnut Street
    • Plainsboro, NJ
    • Princeton, NJ – Ewing Street
    • Princeton, NJ – Bunn Drive
    • Robbinsville, NJ
    • Sewell, NJ
    • Voorhees, NJ – Evesham Rd
    • Voorhees, NJ -Sheppard Rd
    • Yardley, PA
  • Patient Resources
    • Forms
    • Videos
    • Education
    • Book with Zocdoc (opens in a new tab)
  • Book an appointment
Penn Medicine Becker ENT
  • About Us
    • Our Providers
      • Physicians
      • Nurse Practitioners
      • Audiologists
      • Speech-Language Pathologists
    • Reviews
  • Services
    • Allergy
      • Allergy & Sinus Comprehensive Care Program
    • Head & Neck
      • GERD
    • Nose & Sinus
      • Septoplasty
      • Sinus Surgery
      • Turbinate Surgery
      • Balloon Sinuplasty
      • Nasal Valve Surgery
      • New technologies
    • Pediatric ENT
      • Pediatric Snoring & Sleep
      • Ear Infections
      • Tonsil Infections
      • Allergy
      • Airway Problems
      • Pediatric Asthma
      • Symptoms
    • Snoring & Sleep
      • Snoring
      • Sleep Apnea
    • Ears and Hearing
    • Voice & Swallowing
      • Voice Disorders
      • Professional Voice
      • Swallowing Disorders
  • Locations
    • Cape May Court House, NJ
    • Freehold, NJ
    • Hillsborough, NJ
    • Lawrenceville, NJ
    • Monroe, NJ
    • Mt. Laurel, NJ
    • Mullica Hill, NJ
    • Philadelphia, PA – South Street
    • Philadelphia, PA – Walnut Street
    • Plainsboro, NJ
    • Princeton, NJ – Ewing Street
    • Princeton, NJ – Bunn Drive
    • Robbinsville, NJ
    • Sewell, NJ
    • Voorhees, NJ – Evesham Rd
    • Voorhees, NJ -Sheppard Rd
    • Yardley, PA
  • Patient Resources
    • Forms
    • Videos
    • Education
    • Book with Zocdoc (opens in a new tab)
  • Book an appointment

Nose Sinus Allergy in NJ & Philadelphia

Leaders in
Sinus Relief

View Locations

Would you benefit from sinus relief?

At Penn Medicine Becker ENT & Allergy, our specialists are highly-trained sinus experts who provide individualized treatment plans for patients who need help with their nose, allergies, and sinuses. We combine our experience and training with cutting-edge technology to be true Leaders in Sinus Relief

Many treatment options are available for those who suffer from:

Congestion
Diminished Sense of Smell
Facial Pain/Pressure/Headaches
Cough & Post Nasal Drip
Sinus Infection & Sinusitis
Nasal Obstruction/Blockage
Nasal Discharge

allergy medication

Medication

Nasal sprays and oral medications may provide partial or complete relief

Injections or drops

Allergy Treatments

Allergy testing to show if you can benefit from allergy shots or drops

short in-office procedures

In-Office Procedures

New technologies allow for short, in-office procedures designed to address sinus-related symptoms

minimally-invasive outpatient surgery

Sinus Surgery

With minimally-invasive oupatient surgery, patients can reclaim normal sinus function

Why choose a sinus specialist?

Many people live with sinus-related issues and don’t realize that effective treatment is available. While you have the option to use over-the-counter medications to help ease your symptoms, you may find greater relief if you can identify and methodically treat the underlying source of your problem. A quick but thorough evaluation is the starting point for a comprehensive treatment plan to provide maximum, sustained relief for your nose, sinus and allergy-related symptoms. Patients are often surprised to learn that what has become a normal way of living can be relieved through something as simple as allergy treatment, or a mild in-office procedure like Balloon Sinuplasty.

Without a thorough evaluation, it is impossible to understand exactly what is causing your sinus-related issues. Schedule an appointment with a sinus specialist, and ask about allergy testing if you have not recently been tested.

When should I see my doctor?

If you are suffering from a cold for more than 10 days, or if your symptoms worsen after the first 7 days, you should consider seeing a sinus specialist. Man sinus doctors reserve spots for same-day appointments to accommodate sick patients. If you are not feeling better 3 to 5 days after starting antibiotics for a sinus infection, you should let your prescribing physician know.

What is sinusitis, and what causes it?

Sinusitis (or technically Rhinosinusitis) refers to inflammation of the nose and sinuses. Contrary to popular belief, sinusitis is an inflammatory – not infectious – disease. While patients may get sinus infections, it is the underlying inflammation that sets the stage for an infection to occur.

There are a number of common causes of nasal irritation and inflammation, including allergens, non-allergic pollutants, cigarette smoke and viruses. These can often lead to obstruction of the osteomeatal complex (sinus drainage pathway) from mucosal swelling and this leads to secondary bacterial sinusitis, which causes additional inflammation.

In addition, anatomic abnormalities such as polyps, tumors, foreign bodies (especially in children), enlarged adenoids, deviated nasal septum, and aerated middle turbinates (concha bullosa), may cause initial obstruction with the same result. It is common to see more than one contributing factor.

Other factors that may contribute to sinonasal inflammation include hormonal reactions associated with pregnancy, aging, medication misuse, medication reactions, and acid reflux.

What are the symptoms of acute sinusitis?

Acute sinusitis can last up to 4 weeks and may be viral or bacterial in origin. Recurrent sinusitis refers to the situation where a patient has repeated acute sinus infections but is relatively symptom free between these infections. Symptoms of acute sinusitis can include:

Facial Pain/Pressure/Headaches
Nasal Obstruction/Blockage
Diminished Sense of Smell
Post-Nasal Drip & Cough

Additional Symptoms:
Fever, Fatigue, and/or Dental Pain
Bad Breath
Thick, Green or Yellow Nasal Discharge

What are the symptoms of chronic sinusitis?

Chronic sinusitis sufferers may have the following symptoms for 12 weeks or more:

Facial Pain/Pressure/Headaches
Nasal Obstruction/Blockage
Nasal Discharge/Discolored Post-Nasal Discharge
Pus in the Nasal Cavity
Diminished Sense of Smell
Cough

Additional Symptoms:
Headaches
Fever, Fatigue, and/or Dental Pain
Bad Breath

What over the counter medications can help me?

For patients suffering from sinus issues for fewer than 7 days, here is a list of some over the counter medications that can help alleviate symptoms:

Mucinex (Guaifenesin)
Tylenol Cold & Sinus
Advil Cold & Sinus
Sudafed
Robitussin DM
Claritin, Zyrtec or Allegra (Oral antihistamines)

As always, these medications must be used with care, and in accordance with recommended uses and precautions.

Topical decongestants are not recommended for chronic sinusitis. When topical decongestants are used for more than three to five days, a “rebound effect” with worsened symptoms will typically result.

Oral decongestants may raise blood pressure, and patients and their doctors should monitor blood pressure and may need to discontinue oral decongestants if blood pressure is affected. Oral decongestants may also impact other conditions such as prostate hypertrophy, and glaucoma, and the medication labels must be carefully adhered to.

Since higher concentrations are present in the bloodstream, systemic decongestants are more likely to produce side-effects. These include high blood pressure, anxiety and sleeplessness, and the “jitters.” Decongestants can also cause blurry vision (in patients who suffer from glaucoma) and difficulty urinating in patients with prostate problems.

Patients should let their doctor know if they are currently taking any medications for depression, since these medications can have serious adverse effects when they interact with either topical or systemic decongestants. Mucolytics, Anti-Fungals and Macrolides, and others.

What’s the difference between allergies and sinus problems?

An allergy describes a specific way that your body reacts to certain foreign substances. For example, if you are allergic to dust mites, then when you breathe in “dustmite particles” they are recognized by specific allergy receptors in your nose. When they recognize the “intrusion” of dustmite particles, they cause the release of substances that are meant to fight the presence of these particles. These include the release of histamine and other substances that create an inflammatory response. These responses were designed as a defense against the “foreign intruder” – that is to say, the dustmite particles. However, this allergy response has the unfortunate consequence of causing unpleasant symptoms such as a scratchy throat, watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing (to expel the intruder) and so forth. Therefore, we often take anti-allergy medicines to tone down this response and relieve the symptoms of allergy and allergic response.

If you have allergies, your nose may react to allergy-inducing substances in the air, such as dust, grasses, weeds, or mold. Allergic nasal and sinus swelling may in turn lead to sinusitis.

Sinusitis is a bit more generic, it is simply inflammation in your nose and sinus cavities from any cause. Allergy can be one cause of inflammation, hence the term allergic rhinosinusitis, or sinusitis with an allergic component. However, there are a number of other factors that can contribute to sinusitis such as sensitivity to pollution, cigarette smoke, infection, and so forth.

What happens if I don’t treat infected sinuses?

By leaving your infected sinuses untreated, you will live with unnecessary discomfort and pain. In rare cases, patients with untreated sinus infections have suffered from meningitis, brain abscess, and eye infections.

Last Modified 04/06/2022 by Samuel S. Becker, MD, and Medically Reviewed by:

  • Kenneth Rosenstein, MD
  • Naomi Gregory, DO
  • Daniel G. Becker, MD
  • Michael Lupa, MD
  • Robert Mignone, DO
  • Aubrey McCullough, DO
  • Luke Kim, MD

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COVID-19 Safety Updates

All Locations

Cape May Court House, NJ

307 Stone Harbor Blvd, Unit 1
Cape May Court House, NJ 08210
Phone: 609-899-7200

Freehold, NJ

303 W Main St, Suite 500
Freehold Township, NJ 07728
Phone: 732-375-9550

Hillsborough, NJ

719 US-206, Suite 101
Hillsborough, NJ 08844
Phone: 908-271-2102

Lawrenceville, NJ

2 Princess Road, Suite E
Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
Phone: 609-303-5163

Monroe NJ

350 Forsgate Drive, Suite 103
Monroe Township, NJ 08831
Phone: 609-831-0779

Mt. Laurel, NJ

5000 Dearborn Circle, Suite 100
Mt Laurel, NJ 08054
Phone: 609-949-5940

Mullica Hill, NJ

199 Mullica Hill Road
Mullica Hill, NJ 08062
Phone: 856-478-3111

Philadelphia, PA

1740 South Street, Suite 401
Philadelphia, PA 19146
Phone: 215-671-6330

Plainsboro, NJ

5 Plainsboro Road, Suite 360
Plainsboro, NJ 08536
Phone: 609-831-0807

Princeton, NJ

256 Bunn Drive, Suite A
Princeton, NJ 08540
Phone: 609-430-9200

Robbinsville, NJ

One Union Street, Suite 203
Robbinsville, NJ 08691
Phone: 609-436-5740

Sewell, NJ

570 Egg Harbor Road, Suite B-2A
Sewell, NJ 08080
Phone: 856-589-6673

Voorhees, NJ

1001 Sheppard Road
Voorhees Township, NJ 08043
Phone: 856-772-1617

Yardley, PA

111 Floral Vale Blvd, Suite A
Yardley, PA 19067
Phone: (267) 399-4004

Penn Medicine Becker ENT & Sinus Surgery

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