Inadequate closure the velopharyngeal sphincter, a MUSCLE at the back of the soft palate, that directs air flow to the NOSE or to the MOUTH. Velopharyngeal insufficiency often accompanies CLEFT PALATE/CLEFT PALATE AND LIP anomalies and inte [Read More]

Tags: Tags: cleft palate, Mouth, muscle, nose, soft palate, Velopharyngeal Insufficiency, velopharyngeal sphincter

Surgical reconstruction of the TYMPANIC MEMBRANE (eardrum). Damage to the tympanic membrane can occur as a result of scarring due to repeated OTITIS media (middle EAR INFECTION), traumatic injury, and acquired defects such as might remain f [Read More]

Tags: Tags: eardrum, middle ear infection, otitis media, Surgical reconstruction, TYMPANIC MEMBRANE, Tympanoplasty

A thin piece of tissue that stretches across the base of the auditory canal (EAR canal). The tympanic membrane, commonly called the eardrum, vibrates in response to sound waves that reach it by traveling from the outer ear through the audit [Read More]

Tags: Tags: auditory canal, ear canal, eardrum, outer EAR, sound waves, thin piece of tissue, TYMPANIC MEMBRANE

An INFECTION of the tonsils (lymph structures at the back of the THROAT). Tonsillitis is common and often recurrent in children. Conventional wisdom holds that the tonsils (and the nearby ADENOIDS) serve to produce antibodies to help the bo [Read More]

Tags: Tags: back of the THROAT, difficulty swallowing, fever, headache, INFECTION of the tonsils, lymph structures, Tonsillitis, viruses and BACTERIA

The perception of a ringing, humming, roaring, or rushing sound in the EAR when there is no external auditory stimulation. Tinnitus may affect one ear or both ears. There is a growing view among otolaryngologists that tinnitus is an early i [Read More]

Tags: Tags: hearing loss, humming, in the ear, perception of a ringing, roaring, rushing sound, Tinnitus

A yeast (FUNGUS) INFECTION of the inner MOUTH. The fungus Candida albicans causes thrush, which appears in the mouth as reddened patches with a white discharge. Doctors may use the broader terms CANDIDIASIS or moniliasis. C. albicans is a c [Read More]

Tags: Tags: fugnus candida albicans, fungus infection, inner mouth, moniliasis, Thrush, yeast

The collective term for the structures at the back of the MOUTH that provide passage to the structures and organs of the trunk. The throat includes the pharynx, which carries food to the ESOPHAGUS and air to the TRACHEA, and the larynx, or [Read More]

Tags: Tags: air to the TRACHEA, back of the MOUTH, carries food to the ESOPHAGUS, pharynx, throat, voice box

PAIN in a tooth or in the jaw. Toothache typically suggests DENTAL CARIES (cavities) or other dental problems. Dentists provide care when this is the case. Early intervention minimizes tooth loss, the extent of other damage such as to the g [Read More]

Tags: Tags: cavities, Dental Caries, dental problems, Dentists, pain in a jaw, PAIN in a tooth, toothache

Conditions that impair the functions of the muscles and nerves of the THROAT, interfering with the ability to swallow. The clinical term for this impairment is dysphagia. Swallowing disorders often exist with neuromuscular disorders such as [Read More]

Tags: Tags: ability to swallow, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, dysphagia, muscles and nerves of the THROAT, neuromuscular disorders, Swallowing Disorders

Conditions that affect the ability of structures of the MOUTH and THROAT to form the sounds necessary for speech. Health-care providers often refer to these conditions as disorders of articulation to distinguish them from LEARNING DISORDERS [Read More]

Tags: Tags: BRAIN function, learning disabilities, LEARNING DISORDERS, MOUTH and THROAT, necessary for speech, Speech Disorders