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May 31, 2015

What Does the Uvula Do?

Given how frequently doctors look in peoples' mouths, physicians probably get asked this question a dozen times a day by curious patients.  This question of uvular function also extended into ancient times with a variety of theories proposed over the years... Hippocrates and Aristotle in the 4th century B.C. and Berenargio da Carpri in 1900 referred to the uvula only as a source of possible inflammation and edema capable of causing suffocation. Galen (122-199 A.D.) considered it to be…
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May 18, 2015

Breastfeeding Ultrasound

Although breastfeeding is something humans have provided longer than written history, it is only recently through ultrasound that we are only just discovering what actually is going on within the infant mouth. Here is a video showing the complex motion that tongue makes in order to obtain milk from the nipple. The key point is that the tongue moves both horizontally as well as vertically to achieve an effective and painless breastfeeding. Check it out here !
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May 16, 2015

TV Commercial Spots 2015 for Fauquier ENT

Our office has produced 4 different TV commercial spots to be aired regionally in 2015. Check them out! They are each about 30 seconds in duration. All 4 are based off a "master" video that is 2+ minutes in duration. The goal overall was to illustrate what our practice does without appearing to come across like a pushy used car salesperson. TV Spot #1 TV Spot #2 TV Spot #3 TV Spot #4
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May 15, 2015

May 13, 2015

May 11, 2015

Tonsillectomy Lawsuit Due to Taste Loss

An ENT was sued for $1.5 million dollars for normal taste loss that occurred after tonsillectomy that was performed in 2009. The jury did not find the ENT negligent, but awarded the money due to failure to obtain "informed consent." Given the patient is a restaurant owner and cook, the loss of normal taste has impacted his life tremendously. [ link ] Taste loss/alteration after tonsillectomy is an extremely rare complication... like very rare to the point where it is worth writin…
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May 09, 2015

Tongue and Mouth Exercises May Help Reduce Snoring

Snoring is a very common problem for which there is no easy quick fix. There are many possible treatments, but all too often, it only helps a certain percentage of folks and not others. The reason why is because snoring could come from many possible anatomic sources whether nose, palate, uvula, tongue, cheek, epiglottis, etc. So what causes one person's snore may not necessarily be what causes the snore in another person. Brazilian researchers have at least come up with a set of tongue…
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May 08, 2015

What is the Most Common Cause of Bacterial Sore Throat? (Hint... It is NOT Strep)

Viruses may cause the most sore throats, but when it comes to bacterial sources, strep seems to get a bad rap as THE germ that causes tonsillitis and pharyngitis. However, a 2015 study from University of Alabama suggests that group A strep which is detected by the commonly used rapid strep swab only accounts for about 10% of bacterial sore throats. The real culprit that causes most of the bad non-viral sore throats at least in young adults (15-30 years) is Fusobacterium necrophorum . Th…
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May 07, 2015

Removal of "Small" Tonsils Can Still Significantly Improve/Cure OSA

At least in kids... A Johns Hopkins study published in May 2015 suggests that tonsil size does NOT appear to correlate with  obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)  severity and degree of response to T&A surgery . Regardless of the tonsil size even if they are small, improvement in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) occurs based on pre- and post-operative sleep studies. These findings seem counter-intuitive since one would think that the larger the tonsils, the more severe the OSA and the grea…
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May 01, 2015


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