First of all, what does ENT mean? ENT means “ear, nose and throat” so ENT surgeons are specialists in the field of ear, nose and throat related problems. ENT specialists are also known as “otolaryngologists”. It is one of the oldest medical specialties. ENT surgeons can treat many different conditions, such as hearing and balance, head or neck cancer or even facial plastic surgery.
ENT issues are pretty common and statistically, a half of the patients going to a primary care office are affected by some kind of ENT condition. Who never had a stuffy nose, a sore throat or experienced pain in the ears?
But the work of an ENT specialist goes far beyond treating flu. They can perform very delicate surgeries , such as restoring hearing of the middle ear, remove tumors in the head, throat or the neck or open blocked airways. To be able to perform these operations, an ENT specialist must train from five to eight years after graduating medical school. 
There are ENT specialists who will get a subspecialty training in a number of areas. We will find ENT specialists who are specially trained for treating ear problems (otology), nose conditions (rhinology), head and neck troubles, sleep disorders, facial plastic, throat issues (laryngology) and last but not least, pediatrics.
ENT surgery is a vast domain that will deal with a large number of issues. Choosing an ENT specialist who is specially trained in one of the disciplines told above can make a big difference in the treatment of serious issues such as throat cancer or enlarged thyroid glands. An ENT surgeon can of course deal with more common diseases as we have seen before.
In conclusion an ENT surgeon is much more than just a surgeon and will help with a huge variety of issues experienced in daily life as well.
