Find out how to properly treat your child’s ear infections.

It’s amazing how quickly an earache can affect your child's routine, especially when dealing with frequent and severe earaches. If your child deals with ear infections regularly, or if you think they have one but you're not sure, this is when you should turn to our Clarksburg, MD or Montgomery Village, MD, board-certified pediatricians Dr. Armina Rahman, Dr. Hershita Raheja, Dr. Jacqueline Douge, Dr. Sehar Maruf, Dr. LeAnne Miller, and Dr. Maria Yoon for care.

What Can Cause an Earache?

Our pediatrician sees and treats many ear infections, particularly in young children under three years old. Ear infections are pretty common. An earwax blockage can sometimes lead to an earache (often accompanied by muffled hearing). An ear infection such as otitis externa (an outer ear infection) could also cause pain and discomfort. In many cases, an infection is usually the culprit. 

Other causes of an earache include, 

• Sore throat 
• A ruptured eardrum
• Tonsillitis 
• A sinus infection 
• TMJ disorder
• Teeth grinding 

When Should I Bring My Child Into the Office?

As you can see, some problems have nothing to do with the health of your ears but can cause ear pain. So, when should you visit us for care? 

If your little one is dealing with an earache and also displaying any of these symptoms of an ear infection, then it’s time to head into our Clarksburg, MD, office as soon as possible: 

• A high fever
• Severe sore throat
• Severe pain or swelling of the ear
• Loss of hearing 
• Drainage coming from the ear
• Pain lasting more than three days
• Vomiting 

How Are Ear Infections Treated?

While our Clarksburg, MD, pediatrician may prescribe antibiotics for some ear infections, often, these infections don’t require any medication. Depending on your child’s age and the severity of their symptoms, we may take a wait-and-see approach. Of course, if your child’s ear infection is due to bacteria or fungus, medication will be necessary to treat the infection. This is why it’s always best to play it safe and come into our office for an evaluation. We can determine whether your child will require antibiotics or home care and rest to manage symptoms until the infection goes away.

Could Ear Tubes Help With Frequent Ear Infections?

If your child is dealing with frequent or severe ear infections throughout the year, you may want to talk to us about the benefits of ear tubes. This commonly performed surgery in children involves placing tubes into the eardrums to allow air into the middle ear and to improve pressure to reduce your child’s risk for infections. If your child is dealing with three ear infections every six months or four infections yearly, ear tubes may help them.   

If you think your child is dealing with an ear infection and you’re not sure what to do, it’s the perfect time to call our Clarksburg, MD, pediatricians Dr. Armina Rahman, Dr. Hershita Raheja, Dr. Jacqueline Douge, Dr. Sehar Maruf, Dr. LeAnne Miller, and Dr. Maria Yoon to see if you should bring your child in for an evaluation. Call Clarksburg Pediatrics at (301) 528-8181 or (301) 869-6461.