Does this sound familiar? Lots of sinus infections. Headaches. A sense of smell that isn’t as good as it should be. A stuffy nose that won’t go away.
At night, the stuffiness sometimes gets worse in one nostril. When you roll over, the stuffiness eventually goes to the other side. That makes it tough to get a good night’s sleep. 
These symptoms can definitely impact your quality of life—maybe more than you realize. Fortunately, an ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor can help.
What’s the cause?
There are a lot of possible causes for these symptoms. Allergies could be one. A deviated septum is another.
One of the most common causes, though, is swollen turbinates. Turbinates are spongy bones in your nasal passages. They warm and humidify the air you inhale before it goes to your lungs.
In some people, the turbinates can become enlarged—blocking nasal passages. That can lead to congestion, headaches, sinus infections, poor sleep and more.
Minimally invasive treatment option
The treatment for swollen turbinates is called a turbinoplasty. Many ENTs still perform turbinoplasties with full-fledged sinus surgery. The surgery requires general anesthesia and is done at a surgery center. Recovery can take several days.
Of course, all of that can add up to a lot of out-of-pocket costs for patients—especially those with high-deductible health plans. And most patients need to miss at least a few days of work.
Iowa ENT Center, however, uses a minimally invasive turbinoplasty technique that can be done in the office—with no recovery time at all. The technology is called Celon (pronounced SEE-lawn). It uses radio-frequency heat energy (although the patient feels no heat) to permanently shrink the turbinates.
That allows for air to flow normally through the nose—so you can breathe easier, sleep better and stop dealing with multiple sinus infections.
Benefits of the Celon technique
This technique allows us to be more accurate and more precise than traditional surgery. That means better outcomes for patients. There are also a lot of other advantages of this technique:
- It delivers a dramatic (and permanent) improvement. Most patients notice a difference immediately after the procedure. Three to four weeks later, the difference is dramatic—little to no congestion, improved sense of smell, better sleep and more.
- It’s minimally invasive. This procedure is done right in our West Des Moines office. No surgery center, no general anesthesia.
- No down-time. Patients can go back to their normal routine immediately following the procedure
- It’s fast. In the time it takes you to drive to the drugstore and get a decongestant, we can fix the problem.
- It’s typically covered by insurance. This is not an experimental procedure. It’s proven to work, and our physicians have performed hundreds of them. Of course, you should still confirm coverage with your insurance prior to getting the procedure. We can help with that.
Come in for an evaluation
If you think this procedure could be right for you, come in for an evaluation. Iowa ENT Center physicians are among the most experienced in the nation at using the Celon technique. We’ll ask you about your symptoms, perform a thorough exam and fully explain all of your treatment options.
You can request an appointment online, or call us at 888-992-1772.
Dr. Simplot focuses on all aspects of otolaryngology and head/neck surgery. This includes sinus problems and nasal blockages. He is highly trained on the Celon procedure.