Explore Our ENT Services & Get Real Answers

Your appointment starts with a review of your medical history, followed by a full exam of your ears, nose, and throat. We may use an otoscope to look into your ear canal and an endoscope for a closer view of your nose and throat, displaying the image on a monitor so you can see exactly what we see. 

If needed, we can also do allergy testing or order blood work right here at our office. You’ll be informed at every step so you always know what’s going on and why.

If you’re dealing with ear pain that keeps returning, congestion that won’t clear, a voice that’s stayed hoarse, or trouble hearing conversations clearly, we encourage you not to wait it out. A proper exam can identify what’s causing your symptoms and what treatment actually makes sense.

ExcelENT accepts a wide range of insurance plans. Visit our Accepted Insurance page for the full list, or call us at (205) 988-6858 to confirm your specific coverage.

We have two locations in the Birmingham area, our Hoover office and our Homewood office, so you can choose whichever fits your schedule best. Contact us for current hours or to book an appointment at either location.

Ear infections are typically caused by a viral or bacterial infection that leads to fluid buildup in the middle ear. This can bring on ear pain, muffled hearing, and sometimes fever. Getting it treated promptly helps you feel better faster and avoids complications down the road.

Kids under three are especially prone to ear infections because their Eustachian tubes are shorter and block more easily, and their immune systems are still developing. Keeping them away from smoke, avoiding unsupervised bottle feeding, and checking for allergies can all help lower the risk.

For children with frequent infections, ear tubes are a common solution. These are tiny cylinders placed in the eardrum to keep the middle ear open and prevent fluid from building up. If your child keeps getting ear infections, schedule an appointment with us today.

Most ear infections clear up on their own within about a week. In the meantime, over-the-counter pain medication, warm compresses, and ear drops can ease discomfort while your body fights it off.

If the infection is bacterial and not improving on its own, antibiotics may be necessary. We’ll also check for any underlying issues, like fluid buildup or blocked Eustachian tubes, that could be making infections more frequent.

A few signs point to it being time for a hearing check with our audiologists:

• You have trouble following conversations, especially in noisy settings
• You keep turning up the TV or music louder than you used to
• You notice a buzzing or ringing in your ears

Additionally, hearing loss ranges from mild to profound and falls into a few different types:

• Sensorineural hearing loss is the most common type, caused by an issue with the hearing nerve itself, often from age, loud noise exposure, or genetics
• Conductive hearing loss happens when something, like fluid or earwax, blocks sound from reaching the outer or middle ear
• Mixed hearing loss is a combination of both

Take our hearing loss quiz to find out where you stand.

Tinnitus, that ringing, buzzing, or hissing sound only you can hear, is often linked to hearing loss, exposure to loud noise, or earwax buildup. It can also be a side effect of certain medications or underlying conditions like Eustachian tube dysfunction.

For most people, tinnitus comes and goes without a clear pattern, but persistent ringing is worth having evaluated. Our team can check for underlying causes and walk you through management options to help quiet the noise.

Chronic throat clearing is the frequent urge to clear mucus or tightness from the throat, often dozens of times a day. It’s usually driven by postnasal drip or laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR), where stomach acid irritates the throat without the classic heartburn symptoms.

Our ENT specialists evaluate chronic throat clearing alongside your sinus and reflux history, since the two are frequently connected. Treating the underlying trigger, not just the symptom, is the goal.

A hoarse voice after a cold usually clears up within a couple of weeks. Voice changes lasting longer than that, especially without an obvious cause, deserve a closer look.

Our providers offer full voice evaluation and vocal diagnosis services, using endoscopic imaging to examine your vocal cords directly and determine whether reflux, nodules, or overuse is behind the change.

A cough lasting eight weeks or longer in adults is considered chronic and often has more than one contributing factor, including postnasal drip, reflux, and sinus inflammation.

Because chronic cough overlaps with several of our specialty areas, our team evaluates the nose, throat, and voice box together. Learn more about how we approach chronic cough.

Tonsillectomy is typically recommended for recurrent tonsillitis, tonsils large enough to obstruct breathing or sleep, or tonsil stones that keep coming back.

Our ENT specialists evaluate your history and tonsil exam before recommending tonsillectomy for adults and children alike. Contact us to find out if it’s the right next step.

Chronic sinusitis is diagnosed when sinus inflammation lasts 12 weeks or longer despite treatment. Common causes include nasal polyps, a deviated septum, and structural blockages that trap mucus and prevent the sinuses from draining.

Our team uses an in-office nasal endoscopy as part of a full sinus evaluation to find exactly where drainage is blocked before recommending treatment.

Colds and sinus infections share symptoms like congestion and facial pressure, which makes them easy to confuse. A cold typically improves within seven to ten days on its own.

If your symptoms last longer, worsen after initially improving, or come with facial pain and thick discharge, take our Sinusitis Quiz or schedule a sinus evaluation with us.

Treatment depends on whether the infection is viral or bacterial. Viral infections typically improve with saline rinses and time, while bacterial infections may require antibiotics.

For chronic or recurring infections, we offer a full range of sinus infection treatments, including allergy testing and in-office procedures to open blocked sinus passages long term.

Sinus surgery is typically considered after medication and other treatments haven’t provided lasting relief, or when nasal polyps and structural blockages are significantly affecting quality of life.

We perform minimally invasive sinus surgery endoscopically through the nostrils, with no external incisions. For select patients, we also offer the ArchSinus Stent, a drug-eluting stent that keeps the sinus open while it heals after surgery.

VivAer is an in-office treatment for nasal obstruction that uses gentle, controlled heat to reshape tissue inside the nose and improve airflow, with no incisions and minimal downtime.

It’s a good option for patients whose congestion comes from structural nasal obstruction rather than allergies or infection. Learn more about VivAer or ask about it at your next visit.

Colds and allergies both cause congestion and a runny nose, but allergies tend to come with itchy or watery eyes and no fever, while colds usually run their course in a week to ten days.

Symptoms that show up at the same time every year, or flare around specific triggers, are a sign it’s worth reviewing your allergy symptoms with our team.

We test for the specific substances triggering your symptoms, whether that’s pollen, dust mites, pet dander, or mold, using in-office skin prick testing. Results are typically available in 15 to 20 minutes.

Once your triggers are identified, we can create a treatment plan around them. Learn more about our allergy testing process at our Hoover or Homewood office.

Our allergy treatment options range from prescription medications and nasal sprays to allergy immunotherapy, which gradually builds tolerance to specific allergens over time.

Because we treat allergies alongside the ear, nose, and throat conditions they often trigger, like sinus infections, we can address the full picture rather than just symptoms in isolation.

Yes. Allergies trigger inflammation in the nasal passages, and that swelling can block the small openings that let the sinuses drain, creating the ideal environment for infection.

Patients with poorly managed allergies tend to see more recurring sinus infections. If this sounds familiar, our team can evaluate both together rather than treating each separately.

Antihistamines and nasal sprays can bring relief within hours to a few days. Immunotherapy works differently since it’s addressing the root cause rather than masking symptoms, so it typically takes a few months of consistent shots or drops before patients notice a real difference.

Most patients stay on immunotherapy for three to five years for lasting results, though many see meaningful symptom improvement well before that. Our team checks in along the way to track progress and adjust your plan as needed.