48 Questions answered

Should my 4 year old daughter see a doctor or dentist for a mouth issue that’s causing her to refuse to eat or drink? (photo)

Hi,Your daughter looks like she has severe gingivitis (inflammation of the gums) so it would be most advisable for her to go visit a dentist who is experienced in seeing children. Hope this helps.

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Answered By

Dr Annabelle Leong

ENT Doctor

Can dry impacted ear wax resolve on its own with olive oil ear drops without ear syringing or microsuction?

It really depends on how impacted the ear wax is! From experience, by the time patients come to see ENT for help regarding their impacted ear wax, they have already been trying multiple times with olive oil, Cerumol drops, syringing at the GP, all of which have failed. I still think the best and safest way to remove earwax is to have it removed under direct vision with the microscope by your friendly ENT specialist who has the special fine ear instruments needed to gently and painlessly remove the trapped earwax.

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Answered By

Dr Annabelle Leong

ENT Doctor

How safe is acoustic neuroma surgery?

As you know, there are risks as well as benefits to everything in life, including surgery. When we decide who are the most suitable candidates to undergo surgery to remove acoustic neuromas (inner ear nerve tumours), we have to consider their age and general health status, tumour size and rate of growth, site, hearing status, dizziness/vertigo and any other relevant issues. This is actually a rather complex topic as acoustic neuromas may be surgically removed in 3 different surgical approaches.

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Answered By

Dr Annabelle Leong

ENT Doctor

What is the recommended age for a child to have surgery for snoring, and will the problem recur?

There is technically no recommended age for a child to undergo surgery for snoring! What is most important is to have the child properly examined to find out why he is snoring, assess how severe the snoring is and finally, how badly it is affecting the child. The concern is that your 5 year old may be suffering from a condition called paediatric obstructive sleep apnea due to his enlarged adenoids and tonsil tissue. This means he may not be breathing adequately at night while asleep so that there may be abnormally low dips in his oxygen saturation levels.

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Answered By

Dr Annabelle Leong

ENT Doctor

How to treat recurrent tonsillitis?

Suffering from such severe tonsillitis in a short period of time must be really tough on you! Your options are pretty clear actually: Either continue to have each attach treated with antibiotics or consider having surgery to remove your tonsils as the source of infection.

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Answered By

Dr Annabelle Leong

ENT Doctor

When is surgery required to remove a thyroglossal duct cyst?

HiThanks for telling me about your thyroglossal cyst. This is an abnormal type of cyst which is formed from the development of the thyroid gland itself. Although most are usually benign in nature, and may not necessarily cause you any trouble, we may advise surgery to remove the thyroglossal cyst if:1) the cyst becomes infected especially if this happens repeatedly2) the cyst continues to grow and enlarge3) there is any clinical suspicion that the cyst may have transformed into something more worrying or sinister: Approximately 1% of thyroglossal cysts may turn out to harbour cancer cells.

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Answered By

Dr Annabelle Leong

ENT Doctor

How to treat frequent nosebleeds, and what is the cost?

Hi, I think it is most important to find out what is the cause of recurrent nosebleeds first as sometimes there may be more worrying conditions like underlying bleeding disorders or sinister growths at the back of the nose which bleed easily. However luckily most of the time, after we perform a nasal endoscopy to exclude other sources, it usually turns out to be the delicate and superficial blood vessels at the front of the nose which are the usual suspects causing the nosebleeds. A simple quick and safe option is to have these vessels cauterised in clinic under local anaesthesia.

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Answered By

Dr Annabelle Leong

ENT Doctor

When is nose cautery required for nose bleeds, and what is the recovery like?

Thanks for your question about nosebleeds. We usually offer nasal cautery when patients suffer from recurrent nosebleeds which originate from the superficial blood vessels at the front part of the nose. It is simple, painless and quick to do in the clinic. We use a “matchstick” whose tip is covered with silver nitrate to seal off the blood vessel in the form of a chemical reaction. Recovery is quick and patients go home afterward as they don’t need a general anaesthetic for this safe and short procedure which usually only takes approx 5-10 seconds for each side.

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Answered By

Dr Annabelle Leong

ENT Doctor

How to get rid of a persistent lump in throat feeling, and will it go away by itself?

A lump in throat sensation isn’t “normal” and should be thoroughly checked out with a nasal endoscopy examination. It sounds like you may already have had this done in the past if you have been told about an “inward facing epiglottis”. We do see many people who present with similar symptoms like yours at our clinic. Many of them may have underlying conditions such as sinus infections or nasal allergy which leads to a drip of mucus from the nose flowing down and pooling in their throats, giving rise to a lump in throat sensation.

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Answered By

Dr Annabelle Leong

ENT Doctor

How often do I need to be followed up after a tonsillectomy?

After a tonsillectomy, the main issues are usually to do with pain and rarely bleeding due to secondary infection of the tonsillectomy area. My patients are usually seen 1 week and then about a mth postop by which time the vast majority are actually fully recovered. After that, there is usually no need to be followed up. Sounds like you might have a bit of tonsil tissue remaining which might have become inflamed again. Just in case, please have it checked out properly by an ENT specialist as sometimes, the new lump you have noticed may be due to another problem.

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Answered By

Dr Annabelle Leong

ENT Doctor

How can I tell if my child has an ear infection?

Hi Emma, Thanks for the D2D. It may not always be easy to tell if your child might be suffering from an ear infection, especially if they aren’t able to speak properly yet. But the parents of my kiddie patients with ear infections have told me that they were worried about their child tugging repeatedly at his or her own ears, or trying to stick their fingers into their ears, so that was why they brought their child to see me for a thorough checkup. Occasionally, kids with ear infections may be in pain or run a fever. They may also be more grumpy or cranky than usual.

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Answered By

Dr Annabelle Leong

ENT Doctor

How can I find the best ENT doctor for my child in Singapore?

Although this question is subjective, I actually find it easy to answer! You should select the ENT doctor who is very experienced in dealing with children of all ages and can build up a totally comfortable rapport with both your child and yourself to set your whole family at ease. Many of my adult patients bring their children to see me because they know that in addition to my years of experience managing paediatric ENT problems in the UK and Canada, I am a mother of young children and can empathise with their own concern for their ill child.

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Answered By

Dr Annabelle Leong

ENT Doctor

Should I remove earwax from my child’s ears?

Hi Ellen, thanks for the D2D. You don’t actually have to do anything to get rid of the earwax in your son’s ears. Earwax contains protective natural oils to moisturize the delicate skin of the ear canal. So it is all right to have some earwax in your son’s ears. In fact, having ears which are “too clean” may lead to the ear feeling dry and itchy. Cleaning the ear may even predispose to infection because the usual harmless bacteria that reside in your ear are cleared away, allowing harmful organisms the opportunity to grow.

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Answered By

Dr Annabelle Leong

ENT Doctor

Can ear infections in children be prevented?

thanks for the D2D. Yes, there are. The most important first step is not to dig your child’s ears with anything, including cotton buds, as this may accidentally injure the delicate skin inside or puncture the eardrum, which could lead to a permanent hearing loss. The earwax inside your child’s ears contains natural oils to keep the skin moisturized and healthy. Young children are at risk of suffering ear, nose and throat infections as their immune system is still not fully developed as an adult’s.

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Answered By

Dr Annabelle Leong

ENT Doctor

Can my child lose hearing from an ear infection?

thanks for the D2D. Whether your child is at risk of permanent loss of hearing with recurrent ear infections, really depends on what part of his ear keeps on becoming infected. If it is the outer ear canal which becomes infected, then any swelling of the skin will temporarily block his ear and lead to hearing loss but this usually returns once the outer ear infection resolves. However, if it is the middle ear that keeps on getting infected, basically eardrum-related infections, then there is a (small) risk that this might lead to a permanent hearing loss in the future.

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Answered By

Dr Annabelle Leong

ENT Doctor

Practice

Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital 38 Irrawaddy Road, #07-46/47 Singapore 329563

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* This profile has been last updated on November 2, 2020.