Best Nasal Blockage Doctor in Dubai – Dr. Muhammad Jabbr

Some blocked noses come and go with a cold. Others stay for months, no matter how many sprays you try. If your nose feels stuck on one or both sides most days, the cause may be the shape of the inside of your nose. A nasal blockage doctor in Dubai can look inside, find where the air gets stuck, and explain what can help.

Dr. Muhammad Jabbr is a Consultant ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat) and Head & Neck Surgeon at Medcare Hospital, Al Safa, Dubai. Over more than 20 years, he has carried out more than 3,000 ENT procedures. He is one of the best ENT specialists in Dubai to see when a blocked nose will not clear.

Is your blocked nose structural or just passing?

A blocked nose from a cold or an allergy flare usually changes from day to day and settles with time. A structural blockage behaves differently. Clues that the shape of your nose may be part of the problem include:

• The same side is blocked almost all the time.
• The blockage has lasted more than three months.
• Decongestant sprays help only a little, or not at all.
• Your nose feels worse when you breathe in deeply, as if the sides suck inwards.
• You snore, sleep with your mouth open, or wake with a dry throat.

Do not use decongestant sprays for more than a few days, as longer use can make the blockage worse. Many people have more than one cause, so a proper look inside matters before any treatment. Our nasal blockage treatment page explains the overall approach.

What structural problems does a nasal blockage doctor in Dubai look for?

A small change in shape at the wrong point can cut airflow a lot. These are the main causes.

A deviated septum

The septum is the wall that divides your nose into left and right. When it bends, one side becomes narrow. The bend may be present from birth or follow an injury. Mild bends are very common and often cause no trouble. A larger bend can cause steady blockage, usually worse on one side. If needed, it can be straightened with septoplasty.

Enlarged turbinates

Turbinates are small ridges on the side walls of the nose. They warm the air and add moisture on its way in. In some people the bone or soft tissue inside them stays enlarged. When the septum bends, the turbinate on the wider side often grows to fill the space. The blockage may affect both sides or switch from side to side. If medicines do not shrink them enough, a small procedure can reduce their size. Learn more about turbinate hypertrophy treatment.

Nasal polyps

Polyps are soft, painless swellings that grow from the lining of the nose and sinuses. Typical polyps are not cancer. They usually affect both sides and often reduce your sense of smell. A polyp on one side only is less typical and should always be checked. See our nasal polyps treatment page for the options.

Nasal valve collapse

The nasal valve is the narrowest part of the nose, just inside the nostril. If the side walls here are weak, they can fold inwards when you breathe in. This can follow ageing, an injury or earlier nose surgery. Breathing may feel easier when you gently pull your cheek outwards, but this is only a clue.

Enlarged adenoids in children

Adenoids are a pad of tissue at the very back of the nose. In young children they can grow large and block the airway, though they usually shrink with age. Signs include mouth breathing, loud snoring, a nasal voice and restless sleep. Pauses in breathing at night should be checked. Our page on enlarged adenoids in children explains more.

Other causes

Less common causes include an old broken nose that healed out of place, scar tissue after surgery, and an air pocket inside a turbinate (concha bullosa). In young children, a small object pushed into the nose is a common cause of one-sided blockage.

When is one-sided blockage a warning sign?

Most structural blockage is not dangerous. But see an ENT doctor soon if you are an adult and one side has become blocked recently and keeps getting worse, especially with any of these:

• Repeated nosebleeds or blood-stained mucus from the same side.
• A bad smell or discharge from one side.
• Numbness or swelling of the cheek, or loose upper teeth.
• Double vision, a watery eye or a bulging eye.
• A lump on the face, the roof of the mouth or the neck.

These signs often have a simple cause, such as an infection or a benign growth. Rarely, they are the first sign of a tumour inside the nose. A teenage boy with one-sided blockage and repeated heavy nosebleeds should also be checked promptly. In a child, a smelly discharge from one side often means an object is stuck in the nose, and a doctor should remove it.

Get urgent care if you have heavy bleeding that does not stop, trouble breathing, or a swollen eye with fever or changes in vision.

How does the doctor find the exact cause?

A spray will not straighten a bent septum, and septum surgery will not fix a weak valve. So Dr. Jabbr checks your nose step by step.

1. Your story. Which side is blocked, for how long, and what makes it better or worse.
2. Looking inside the front of the nose. A small light shows the septum, the front of the turbinates and the valve area. Gently supporting the side of your nose shows whether the valve is collapsing.
3. Before and after a decongestant spray. The doctor may spray the nose and look again. Swelling that shrinks is lining. A narrowing that stays is usually structure.
4. Nasal endoscopy. After a numbing spray, a thin camera goes gently into the nose. It shows the back of the septum, the turbinates, any polyps and the adenoids. Read more about nasal endoscopy.
5. Scans when needed. A CT scan of the sinuses may be advised if polyps, sinus disease or a growth is suspected, or before surgery. An MRI is sometimes added for a growth.

What can fix a structural blockage?

Treatment depends on the cause, and not every structural problem needs surgery. Dr. Jabbr usually starts with the simplest step that is likely to help.

• Medical care first. Saline rinses keep the nose clear, and steroid sprays can calm swollen lining around a structural problem.
• Deviated septum. If the bend is the main cause and affects daily life, septoplasty can straighten it.
• Enlarged turbinates. A turbinate reduction can shrink them while aiming to keep their normal function.
• Nasal polyps. Steroid sprays or short courses of tablets may shrink them. Endoscopic surgery may be advised when medicines do not help enough.
• Nasal valve collapse. Nasal strips or small dilators can be tried first. If the valve is weak, surgery can support it, often with small cartilage grafts.
• Adenoids. A steroid spray may help some children. If blocked breathing or poor sleep continues, removing the adenoids may be advised.
• Suspicious one-sided growth. Scans usually come first. A small sample (biopsy) may then confirm what it is before treatment is planned.

Results vary from person to person. Your doctor will explain what each option can and cannot do before you decide.

Why see Dr. Muhammad Jabbr for a blocked nose?

• Holds MD, MS, DOHNS (England), European Board ORL-HNS and Arab Board ORL-HNS.
• Over 20 years in ENT practice and more than 3,000 ENT procedures.
• Sees adults and children, so a parent and child can be checked in the same clinic.
• Starts with the simplest step and explains each option in plain words.

This makes him one of the best choices in Dubai for a clear, honest plan.

Book a blocked nose check

You can book online to see Dr. Muhammad Jabbr in the ENT Department of Medcare Hospital, Hadiqa Street, Al Safa 1, Dubai. Prefer to talk first? Call +971 52 751 7811.

Frequently Asked Questions

Finding what is blocking your nose

A nose that stays blocked for months may have a shape problem, not just a cold that will not go away. With a careful examination and endoscopy, Dr. Muhammad Jabbr can find what is narrowing your airway and guide you to the right fix.