North Palm Beach Today

• The biggest allergy triggers in the West Palm Beach area during the summer season are grass and weed.

• Allergies triggered by sinusitis lead to mouth breathing, which leads to airway disorders.

• Patients struggling with sinusitis and allergies are encouraged to seek minimally invasive treatment from a specialist for a better quality of life.

With Florida allergies being year round, it's likely that those with sinusitis are having to deal with extra inflammation, especially in the summer. Dr. Cody Aull, of West Palm Beach Breathe Free, said a patient might not actually realize that they have allergies affecting their sinuses.

"Allergies occur when the immune system overreacts to something like cats, weeds or grasses and different things along those lines," Aull said. "We don't necessarily know when a patient's going to get these or if they have them, so checking is always good because you might not necessarily know you have them. What we're dealing with when we talk about sinuses are super-small holes that need to stay open. If you have a little bit of inflammation in a really small hole, it shrinks and closes off really fast."

Allergies in Florida can run year round, according to Wyndly. They list the main allergens to look out for during the summer season as ragweed, dog fennel, sorrel and dock.

According to Mayo Clinic, the immune system's response to fighting off allergens involves releasing chemicals that can lead to a runny nose, congestion or skin reactions, and those responses can affect the airways, triggering asthma symptoms. Allergy treatments such as immunotherapy can reduce your body's reaction to allergens over time, which will in turn decrease asthma symptoms.

People who suffer from allergies or chronic sinus problems are more likely to breathe through their mouths, but mouth breathing can lead to oral health issues, according to McCarl Dental Group. Mouth breathing dries up saliva, which then allows bacteria and plaque to build up on the teeth, which can cause cavities, gum disease and chronic bad breath. 

Regularly breathing through the mouth can also, over time, lead to strained jaw joints, snoring, sleep apnea, enlarged tonsils and a higher risk for airway disorders, such as asthma, McCarl Dental Group reported.

For sinusitis patients who struggle with allergies, there's minimally invasive treatment options that can provide long lasting results. One of these treatment options is the balloon sinuplasty, which is a safe and minimally invasive procedure utilized by surgeons to address chronic sinusitis, according to Nuffield Health. During the process, doctors insert a guide wire equipped with a small balloon into the nostrils and navigate it to the area of blockage.