expert type icon EXPERT

William T. Poirier

Ear-Nose and Throat Doctor (ENT)

Dr. William Poirier is an ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor, also known as an otolayngologist, practicing in Stockton, California. Dr. Poirier specializes in diseases and disorders of the ear, nose and throat as well as other parts of the head and neck. Such structures an ENT may work on include the sinuses, larynx (voice box) and mouth in addition to the ear, nose and throat. There are seven areas of expertise that an ENT might specialize in, and these are: allergies; facial reconstructive surgery; head and neck; laryngology; otology/neurotology; pediatric otolaryngology; and rhinology.
William T. Poirier
  • Stockton, California
  • Drexel University
  • Accepting new patients

Broken nose?

LIKE THE OLD SAYING IF IT DOES NOT HURT OR CAUSE ANY PROBLEMS LEAVE IT ALONE,WHAT MAY HAPPEN AS YOU GET OLDER THE AIR FLOW DYNAMICS MAY CHANGE AND CAUSE YOU TO HAVE PROBLEMS BREATHING READ MORE
LIKE THE OLD SAYING IF IT DOES NOT HURT OR CAUSE ANY PROBLEMS LEAVE IT ALONE,WHAT MAY HAPPEN AS YOU GET OLDER THE AIR FLOW DYNAMICS MAY CHANGE AND CAUSE YOU TO HAVE PROBLEMS BREATHING THROUGH IT AND THAT MAY THE CAUSE YOU TO SEEK A SEPTO-RHINOPLASTY WHERE THE FIX THE DEVIATED SEPTUM AND STRAIGHTEN THE NOSE SINCE ITS FUNCTIONAL IT WOULD BE COVERED BY INSURANCE, IF YOU ARE ON YOUR PARENTS INSURANCE YOU CAN SEEK A ENT EVALUATION OR SEE A FACIAL PLASTIC SURGEON WHO IS TRAINED IN THIS TYPE SURGERY

Trouble talking?

ANYONE WITH A VOICE PROBLEM LIKE THIS NEEDS AN INDIRECT/DIRECT LARYNGOSCOPIC EXAM OF THEIR VOCAL CORDS. THIS IS DONE BY A MIRROR EXAM/FLEXIBLE SCOPE. THE PROBLEM COULD BE A POLYP, READ MORE
ANYONE WITH A VOICE PROBLEM LIKE THIS NEEDS AN INDIRECT/DIRECT LARYNGOSCOPIC EXAM OF THEIR VOCAL CORDS. THIS IS DONE BY A MIRROR EXAM/FLEXIBLE SCOPE. THE PROBLEM COULD BE A POLYP, A CANCER, OR A VOCAL CORD PARALYSIS. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO WAY OF DIAGNOSING OR TREATING THIS WITHOUT A VISUALIZATION. NEED TO SEE AN OTOLARYNGOLOGIST, AND URGENTLY IF YOU HAVE EVER SMOKED CIGARETTES.

What could be the cause of my ear pain?

If your hearing is normal and you do not have any drainage from your ear and no fever, without looking at your ear canal or eardrum...and you have most if not all of your teeth...best READ MORE
If your hearing is normal and you do not have any drainage from your ear and no fever, without looking at your ear canal or eardrum...and you have most if not all of your teeth...best guess is TMJ (tempormandibular joint dysfunction) from grinding your teeth, chewing gum, every other thing that would give ear pain would give fever, drainage, or hearing loss. You may want to consider a night guard to see if you are not grinding at night or jaw clinching, very common in women.

How can I remove a single large scar on my nose?

DEPENDING ON YOUR INSURANCE, YOU MAY WANT TO SEE AN ENT OR FACIAL PLASTIC OR PLASTIC SURGEON FOR SCAR REVISION.

Why is my voice so weak?

A WEAK VOICE MAY BE A RESULT OF SWELLING OF THE VOCAL CORDS AND WHEN THE SWELLING GOES DOWN THE VOICE RETURNS,,,,SOMETIMES THE VOICE IS WEAK FROM A VOCAL CORD PARALYSIS AND WITH READ MORE
A WEAK VOICE MAY BE A RESULT OF SWELLING OF THE VOCAL CORDS AND WHEN THE SWELLING GOES DOWN THE VOICE RETURNS,,,,SOMETIMES THE VOICE IS WEAK FROM A VOCAL CORD PARALYSIS AND WITH TIME MAY NOT RETURN EITHER CASE NEEDS TO BE EVALUATED BY INDIRECT LARYNGOSCOPY DONE BY ENT SURGEON WHO THEN MAY ORDER TESTS ETC

How do I know if I broke my nose?

WHEN THE SWELLING GOES DOWN IF CROOKED OR CHANGED ITS FRACTURED AND MAY NEED TREATMENT,,,,,,NO CHANGES MAY BE FRACTURED BUT NOT DISPLACED AND USUALLY NO TREATMENT NECESSARY

Why do my ears pop when I swallow?

THIS IS CALLED EUSTATION TUBE DYSFUNCTION AND MAY RELATE TO ALLERGIES , YOU MAY NEED TO HAVE AN AUDIOGRAM AND IMPEDENCE TESTING TO FULLY EVALUATE THIS AS WELL AS A FULL NASAL EXAM READ MORE
THIS IS CALLED EUSTATION TUBE DYSFUNCTION AND MAY RELATE TO ALLERGIES , YOU MAY NEED TO HAVE AN AUDIOGRAM AND IMPEDENCE TESTING TO FULLY EVALUATE THIS AS WELL AS A FULL NASAL EXAM BY ENT IF DOES NOT RESOLVE

How do I know if my kid's sore throat is serious?

MORE SERIOUS SORE THROATS ARE ACCOMPANIED BY A FEVER USUALLY HIGHER THAN 99,,,,AND VISUAL CHANGES OF THE TONSILS SURFACE

Is there a way to fill in preauricular pit?

PREAURICULAR PITS DO NOT USUALLY CAUSE PROBLEMS, THEY ARE A RESULT OF EMBROLOGIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE AURICLE,,,THE CARTILAGE PART WE CALL THE EAR,,,,SOME TIMES THE GET INFECTED READ MORE
PREAURICULAR PITS DO NOT USUALLY CAUSE PROBLEMS, THEY ARE A RESULT OF EMBROLOGIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE AURICLE,,,THE CARTILAGE PART WE CALL THE EAR,,,,SOME TIMES THE GET INFECTED AND BECOME PREAURICULAR CYSTS, THESE MAY OR MAY NOT REQUIRE SURGERY, BUT OTHERWISE NO TREATMENT IS REQUIRED

Lately, my ears seem to have more wax than usual. Could this be a sign of an infection?

WITHOUT PAIN DOUBT INFECTION, SOMETIMES WITH MORE MOISTURE SUCH AS WHEN IN SWIMMING POOLS THE RESIDUAL WAS WILL BE COME MORE LIQUIFIED AND APPEAR LIKES IT LEAKING FROM THE EAR READ MORE
WITHOUT PAIN DOUBT INFECTION, SOMETIMES WITH MORE MOISTURE SUCH AS WHEN IN SWIMMING POOLS THE RESIDUAL WAS WILL BE COME MORE LIQUIFIED AND APPEAR LIKES IT LEAKING FROM THE EAR CANAL THIS IS NORMAL, (AFTER ALL EAR WAX STARTS OUT AS A SECRETION AND EVENTUALLY DRIES UP AND TURNS TO A POWDER ),

Can ear wax buildup cause deafness?

Usually not, but if water from a shower gets in the ear canal, the wax can get wet and expand to completely close off the canal, this would cause a hearing loss called a conductive READ MORE
Usually not, but if water from a shower gets in the ear canal, the wax can get wet and expand to completely close off the canal, this would cause a hearing loss called a conductive hearing loss, once the wax impaction is removed the hearing returns to normal.

How can I ease my ear pain after a flight journey?

Frequently, people do not auto-inflate their ears as the airplane descends to land, this chance in pressure can cause collapse of the tympanic membrane with some times rupture READ MORE
Frequently, people do not auto-inflate their ears as the airplane descends to land, this chance in pressure can cause collapse of the tympanic membrane with some times rupture of the ear drum or bleeding into the middle ear space.more commonly the ear drum just collapses and give pain and hearing loss. You can try to relieve this symptom by pinching your nose so that no air can escape through your nose, the take a deep breath and attempt to blow you nose, the ear drums may pop open or you may hear a bubbling, if you do this several times you may be able to inflate the tympanic air space permanently or back to normal. If you are not successful, you may need to see an ENT doctor in person for further help.

Why do I have itching in my ears every morning?

It could be seborrheic dermatitis, similar to dandruff. You may try treating it with hydrocortisone cream: put a small dot on a cotton tip applicator no longer than 1 inch and READ MORE
It could be seborrheic dermatitis, similar to dandruff. You may try treating it with hydrocortisone cream: put a small dot on a cotton tip applicator no longer than 1 inch and apply to the ear canal 2x a day until itch resolves. It may reoccur, so you may repeat this. The over-the-counter medication only has a shelf life of 60 days, so you cannot use it 6 months later.

Can swimmer's ears cause deafness?

Swimmers ear is by definition an infection of the external ear canal; you can get swelling of the canal which can be so severe that you may not hear out of the ear until the swelling READ MORE
Swimmers ear is by definition an infection of the external ear canal; you can get swelling of the canal which can be so severe that you may not hear out of the ear until the swelling goes down. Sometimes a wrong diagnosis can be made or confused as swimmers ear such as a tumor in ear canal, a cholesteatoma of the mastoid, etc., may need an ENT surgeon to evaluate if there is hearing loss following resolution of swimmers ear.

My son blew a whistle loudly in my ear and I can still feel it ringing. Is there something really wrong?

When a loud noise occurs with a certain intensity, you may get what is called a temporary threshold shift with persistent hearing loss and ringing. Over a period of time, this READ MORE
When a loud noise occurs with a certain intensity, you may get what is called a temporary threshold shift with persistent hearing loss and ringing. Over a period of time, this should return to normal. We see this on an audiogram (routine hearing test). When it is repeated months later, the pathology in the Cochlear is theorized as a tear in the membrane of the Cochlear duct leaking endolymph as a result of the wave produced by the sound. When the duct repairs itself everything goes back to normal most of the time.

Why do I keep getting strep throat?

Tonsils have crevices and bacteria in these areas which may not get adequate exposure to an oral antibiotic. If you have had frequent bouts and cultures have been taken, then you READ MORE
Tonsils have crevices and bacteria in these areas which may not get adequate exposure to an oral antibiotic. If you have had frequent bouts and cultures have been taken, then you and your physician need to discuss whether or not you would benefit from a tonsillectomy. Sometimes recurrence may mean you were not treated for an adequate period or the bacteria was resistant to the antibiotic.

Can mold exposure cause an ear infection?

Yes there are two types of ear infections: the ear canal type and the middle ear type. But the only way of documenting the ear canal one would be with a culture taken from the READ MORE
Yes there are two types of ear infections: the ear canal type and the middle ear type. But the only way of documenting the ear canal one would be with a culture taken from the ear canal by the doctor treating him. Mold allergies can cause nasal sinus infections and with all allergies in the upper respiratory tract swell can cause the eustachian tube to swell. This is the leading cause for middle ear infections.

After a strep throat infection, how long should I avoid sending my son to school?

Until he is without a fever and objectively/subjectively is feeling okay, should be under 7 days.

My baby's ears are very smelly. Is it normal in small children?

Yes, earwax can smell pungent, and unless the child is complaining of pain or a fever, do not worry.

What causes me to sneeze so early in the morning?

If he has a feathered pillow or down duvet, he could have an animal dander allergy, or he could be allergic to animal mites, which is a large component of house dust allergies. READ MORE
If he has a feathered pillow or down duvet, he could have an animal dander allergy, or he could be allergic to animal mites, which is a large component of house dust allergies. If either is a possibility, get rid of the feathered pillow/duvet and do a hot water cycle on the bed linens.