North Richmond Today

• Some common symptoms of sinusitis include nasal inflammation, reduced sense of taste or smell, nasal discharge, difficulty breathing through your nose, and pain, tenderness, or swelling around the cheeks, eyes, nose or forehead.
• Symptoms that some sufferers might find surprising could include ear pain, bad breath, fatigue, or aching in your upper jaw and teeth.
• There are nonsurgical treatments available to help with sinusitis symptoms, including balloon sinuplasty.

Dr. John Ditto of Richmond Breathe Free said pressure caused by sinusitis can lead to different symptoms that patients may not realize are resulting from that issue, and treatment, such as a balloon sinuplasty, can help. 

"The reason why the teeth hurt is because the nerve that innervates the face with sensation is the fifth cranial nerve," Ditto said. "It's the nerve that you feel when you touch your forehead, your cheeks and your jaw when you go to the dental office. They inject one of those branches to numb your teeth, either the upper or lower, then they also innovate the sinuses. And so, when the sinuses are blocked, like the maxilla, or the cheek sinuses, and you get that pressure in your teeth, that is because that pressure is causing irritation to the nerves. And that's why you're having that pain."

According to a report by the Mayo Clinic, acute sinusitis not only makes it difficult to breathe through your nose, but can also lead to swelling around your eyes and face, which can also cause facial pain and headaches. Symptoms of chronic sinusitis can include the usual suspects, but other, more unexpected suspects such as nasal inflammation, a runny nose, postnasal drainage, congestion, pain or facial swelling, headaches, loss of smell and taste, a sore throat, bad breath or fatigue, the Mayo Clinic report stated.

In addition to headaches, toothaches, nasal drainage or fever, people experiencing symptoms that aren't improving for more than a week should see a physician, according to according to NHS Inform. An ear, nose and throat specialist might recommend a saline solution or over-the-counter treatment. If those don't improve symptoms, a doctor might prescribe antibiotics or a corticosteroid spray, and possibly recommend sinus surgery.

Aside from other treatments and surgeries, another option is balloon sinuplasty, an inpatient procedure that's simple and only takes about an hour, according to Entellus Medical. The preparation takes about 30 minutes before which anesthetics are applied to the nose. A thin instrument with a balloon is then guided through the sinus cavity, the balloon is inflated for five seconds with saline solution, and the balloon is removed once the sinuses are clear.

The key to balloon sinuplasty, Ditto said, "is to treat the sinus opening. And that's where balloon sinuplasty is very effective. Because you can then open that ostium if it's obstructed, allowing proper ventilation and pressure equalization."

To learn more about sinus symptoms and treatments, take this free quiz.