Why Listening Matters as Much as Surgery in ENT Medicine With Dr. Jordan Teitelbaum

Dr. Jordan Teitelbaum, D.O., F.A.R.S. is an Otorhinolaryngologist at the Ear, Nose & Throat Specialists of Illinois, a practice focused on advanced care for sinus, nasal, and skull base conditions. He is also on staff at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, Advocate Children’s Hospital, Golf Surgical Center, and Hawthorn Surgical Center. As a board-certified otorhinolaryngologist and a Fellow of the American Rhinologic Society, Dr Teitelbaum treats hearing loss, frequent ear or tonsil infections, voice, swallowing, reflux issues, and thyroid and salivary gland conditions.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[03:06] Dr. Jordan Teitelbaum shares his background and how he became an otorhinolaryngologist
[04:58] The top reasons kids visit ENTs
[07:16] How long-term patient relationships set ENTs apart from other surgeons
[10:24] Subtle red flags indicating children may need an ENT evaluation
[15:11] Why tonsils and adenoids matter and when to remove them
[16:46] Dr. Teitelbaum shares the wildest objects kids stick in their ears and noses
[18:42] Life-saving surgeries ENTs perform every year
[27:33] Tips to help kids stay calm before medical procedures
[33:59] How routine ENT surgeries can improve kids’ lives
[45:07] Reliable ENT resources for parents

In this episode…

Some doctors treat symptoms. Others treat people. How can a surgeon bring emotional intelligence, deep listening, and empathy into the exam room?

According to Dr. Jordan Teitelbaum, a board-certified ENT surgeon and Fellow of the American Rhinologic Society, connecting with patients is just as critical as performing a successful procedure. Listening carefully helps uncover subtle but serious issues, especially in children who can’t always articulate what’s wrong. When doctors prioritize empathy and partnership, they earn trust that makes every step of care more effective and less frightening. Dr. Teitelbaum’s approach underscores that medicine isn’t just about what you do with your hands; it’s about who you are when you walk in the room.

In this episode of The Coping Podcast, Dr. Leigh Weisz speaks with Dr. Jordan Teitelbaum, Otorhinolaryngologist at the Ear, Nose & Throat Specialists of Illinois, about why human connection is essential in ENT medicine. They discuss how to spot ENT issues in kids, why a calm bedside manner matters in surgical specialties, and how trust changes treatment outcomes. Dr. Teitelbaum also gives advice on preparing children for medical procedures.

Resources Mentioned in this episode

Quotable Moments:

“It’s so critical that you establish a trusting relationship with the patient and their family.”
“You’re not just treating a nose or an ear, you’re treating a person and a family.”
“Sometimes listening can be more important than operating because that’s where diagnoses are really made.”
“I try to make sure every child feels safe and seen before I ever examine them.”
“We can make huge differences in people’s lives by just being present and paying attention.”

Action Steps:

Listen actively to patient concerns: Attentive listening can uncover hidden symptoms and help build trust to enhance clinical outcomes.
Prioritize empathy before procedures: Approaching patients with compassion creates a safer emotional environment, especially for anxious children.
Educate parents on ENT warning signs: Raising awareness empowers families to seek timely care for chronic issues like snoring or infections.
Use minimally invasive treatment when possible: Reducing surgical intensity improves recovery time and lowers patient stress, especially in pediatric cases.
Build long-term relationships with patients: Continuity of care enhances diagnostic accuracy and fosters mutual respect between families and providers.

Sponsor for this episode…

This episode is brought to you by Coping Partners.

Coping Partners is a mental health practice dedicated to helping children, adolescents, and adults manage various challenges including anxiety, divorce, behavioral issues, relationship problems and much more in the Chicago suburbs.

Our practitioners are devoted to building on our clients’ strengths and bolstering weaknesses.

To gain insight and tools for getting unstuck check out our website at CopingPartners.com, email us at support@copingpartners.com.

Episode Transcript:

Intro: 00:01

Welcome to The Coping Podcast, where we share strategies for coping with the stressors of life, especially the difficulties of parenting. And here is your host, doctor Lee Weiss.

Dr. Leigh Weisz: 00:15

This is Dr. Leigh Weisz. I am the host of The Coping Podcast, where I feature top experts on topics like raising healthy children, parenting, and so much more. Past guests include Dr. Emily Lieberman, Dr. Doug Bolton, clinician Ben Kessler, and many more. Just a quick disclaimer. The information provided is for educational and informational purposes only.

This is not intended to provide mental health treatment and does not constitute a client therapist relationship. The information provided is not a replacement for being assessed and evaluated by a licensed professional, and is not intended to replace mental health or medical advice. This episode is brought to you by Coping Partners. Coping Partners is a mental health practice in the Chicago suburbs dedicated to helping children, adolescents and adults. We help manage various challenges including anxiety, divorce, behavioral issues, relationship problems, and much more.

Check out more episodes of our podcast and our website at copingpartners.com, and you can contact us with any questions you have. Before we dive into today’s topic, I wanted to introduce today’s guest, Dr. Jordan Teitelbaum. Dr. Teitelbaum is an ear, nose, and throat doctor and works at ear, nose and throat Specialists of Illinois. He is board certified in otolaryngology and had a neck surgery. Dr. Teitelbaum was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, attended the University of Michigan go blue, went to medical school at Touro College in New York City, did his residency at Ohio University, and his fellowship at Duke University Medical Center.

He was one of the youngest inductees ever as a fellow in the American Rhinologic society. Dr. Teitelbaum has also presented and published at multiple international meetings. He has an interest in treating hearing loss, frequent ear or tonsil infections, voice swallowing, reflux issues, and thyroid and salivary gland conditions. Aside from these impressive credentials, I can attest that Dr. Teitelbaum has an unmatched bedside manner. He views the practice of medicine as a partnership between patient and doctor, where trust, thoughtfulness, and listening are essential.

While he works with both pediatric and adult patients, I have seen him personally engage kiddos in his office in the most natural and endearing way. He really gets kids and puts both kids and adults at ease right away. He also has his own family, a wife and three kids, and he roots for the bears, Bulls, Michigan football and Duke basketball. He also enjoys theater and musicals, reading, exercise, skiing, hiking, and the list goes on. So thank you so much, Dr. Teitelbaum, for being here today.

Dr. Jordan Teitelbaum: 02:59

Sure. Thanks for having me.

Dr. Leigh Weisz: 03:00

Absolutely. Can you share a little bit about your background and how you got into this line of work?

Dr. Jordan Teitelbaum: 03:06

I knew I always wanted to be a doctor. I was the oldest of three. I feel like I always like talking, like taking care of kids. And my pediatrician was old school. In a world when probably all doctors writing on paper charts were old school and, like, shelving them in the attic.

I knew I was like, taking care of people. Once I got to med school, I knew I wanted surgical specialties and I really liked ENT. We see NICU babies with breathing issues and, you know, of course I see teens and children and people of all genders, people of all conditions, you know, someone essentially healthy, but they have like a little crooked cartilage and they’re not breathing well on one side versus like, Tracheostomies had neck cancer in the hospital all the way up to I have so many patients in their 80s, 90s, hundreds who they just come in every 3 to 4 months. I clean the earwax out, you know. They get their hearing aids adjusted with my, like, high level audiologists.

And they’re probably the happiest people I see on a week to week basis. So just like being there for them, doing little procedures, you know, a lot of these specialties are really competitive lately. So like getting in early, demonstrating interest, putting yourself on record in terms of publication and rotations, that was really important. And and I’m loving it. I’m five years out of fellowship.

Dr. Leigh Weisz: 04:25

Well, you can tell that you’re passionate about what you do and and like you’re saying I mean, you do kind of like you’re describing little things like the hearing aids and things like that, which are not so little when you’re someone who, you know is having difficulty hearing as an elderly person, let’s say that’s true. Big difference. And I know you do huge, you know, unbelievable life saving surgeries as well. So it is nice that you you get to see it all. So tell us, you know, we have a parent audience.

Tell us a little bit about kind of what is ENT in general and what parents might see an ENT for.

Dr. Jordan Teitelbaum: 04:58

I think ENT is some of the most common stuff, some of the most common things that kids go in for pediatrician visits or, you know, specifically urgent care visits, right? I mean, maybe I’m the one taking tonsils out after you get 5 or 7 infections in one year, but like going in for a sore throat, a cough, runny nose or congestion, ear infection, ear pain those are like at least the top 20 to 60% of primary care visits, you know, and everything so segmented these days, it’s hard to get in to see anyone. So there’s a lot of us taking care of things. I suppose I pride myself or ents. We kind of pride ourselves on being like, the buck stops with me.

Like if I can’t figure out your ear, nose or throat diagnosis, basically nobody else will. You know, I find that if you have a heart issue, there’s like cardio that you go see cardiology. But if you need a procedure, it’s Its cardiothoracic. You know, if you’re seeing a medical oncologist, but, you know, you also see a breast surgeon. Like those are different specialties.

ENT. And then I guess ophthalmology. I’m the buck stops with me for medical and surgical things. So, you know, you’re not always getting cut or having a surgical discussion. But there’s typically like, lots of procedures, you know, these are like weird deep spots in the body.

So it really takes a lot of comfort and confidence to deal with them. Like the medical specialists, the surgical specialist, you know, we live in a really rich area where there are some people who are very specialized in certain things, but just like a really good pediatrician, like anything that comes in my door, I’m ready to handle. Yeah.

Dr. Leigh Weisz: 06:36

And you’re right. Like a lot of times, surgeons are not the ones necessarily, you know, having to interact as much with the patients, you know, but it’s, you know, it sounds like ENT is different in the sense that you’re doing the surgery and you have to have, again, that amazing bedside manner and working with all ages and just kind of helping them with whatever they’re coming in for.

Dr. Jordan Teitelbaum: 06:57

This is something my senior partner told me, who’s like a really, really wonderful reputation. That’s the fun in it. The fun in it. And it is like, oh, you’re a psychologist. That’s wild.

Oh, you’re a social worker at a school, like, incredible. Because I am seeing these people like, you know, every three months, every six months, every year. It’s actually been.

Dr. Leigh Weisz: 07:15

Years.

Dr. Jordan Teitelbaum: 07:16

It’s I have not coped well lately because I see people every six months of all ages. Someone came in the other day. It was an adult and she lost her husband six weeks ago since I last saw her three months ago, and I’m going to see her in another three months just to, you know, keep an eye on things. Nothing crazy. No.

No cat scans, no surgery. But it’s just amazing being a part of these people’s lives from the get go. And like, you can never realize that when you’re in your 20s and 30s. Maybe before you’re married and have kids that you’re like, you’re just in it. It’s it’s not a job.

It’s like a way of being.

Dr. Leigh Weisz: 07:50

No. It’s really. It’s really interesting. I never thought about that. That ents really have relationships long term with most.

I mean, a lot of their patients, maybe not all, but a lot in a, in a very different way than any other kind of surgical background, you know, profession would have. So that’s really it’s really neat. And like you said, it’s it’s probably more rewarding and wonderful. And for someone like you who’s clearly a people person, it’s it’s a great it’s a great thing for you to be able to, to have that relationship with the patients. But I’m sure it also, like you said, is hard.

You know that, of course you’re sad when something happens in their lives because you really do feel connected to all of your of your patients.

Dr. Jordan Teitelbaum: 08:30

Yeah, absolutely. You know, we cover we cover a few hospitals. We specifically cover advocate children’s and the amount of stuff in the neonatal ICU, the NICU and the PICU and all the crazy stuff. Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself. We had a 13 month old last week who swallowed a button battery.

So so so dangerous. It was in there for, you know, an insane amount of time. Now they’re tube fed. I mean, it’s it’s hard to compartmentalize that stuff.

Dr. Leigh Weisz: 08:56

Oh my gosh. Absolutely.

Dr. Jordan Teitelbaum: 08:57

I hope I never do I suppose.

Dr. Leigh Weisz: 08:59

Well yeah that’s that that’s.

Dr. Jordan Teitelbaum: 09:01

A we’ll talk later.

Dr. Leigh Weisz: 09:04

It’s a similarity between honestly between the mental health field.

Dr. Jordan Teitelbaum: 09:07

And.

Dr. Leigh Weisz: 09:08

The field in the sense that we were always taught, you know, you can’t compartmentalize 100% or you’re not going to have enough empathy and be a kind, you know, caring therapist. You want to care, right? That’s part of what makes you good at what you do. And like you said, you know, you also don’t want to be like waking up in the middle of the night in a sweat, you know, thinking about people because you do see a lot of traumatic, traumatic situations. It sounds like.

Dr. Jordan Teitelbaum: 09:32

And I do have a balance. And, you know, I enjoy when I get to enjoy. But yeah, I hope I never lose that or I hope people can tell or write. You know, maybe a part of it is just being a parent. But like, it’s good for things to stick with you because that’s real.

Dr. Leigh Weisz: 09:47

Absolutely. Absolutely. No, you wouldn’t want to have none of that. That’s that’s for sure. So I know we you know, I got to to know Dr. Teitelbaum, of course, through my daughter, who had luckily nothing major but some minor ear issues, which of course, are so much better now that we’ve had our surgery.

But I’m curious for you, what are common, you know, signs or red flags that a parent might miss if they don’t know better? Where you would say, oh, that child really needs to be seen by an ENT. And sometimes, you know, the pediatricians refer and other times I don’t think they do.

Dr. Jordan Teitelbaum: 10:24

So yeah, that’s an awesome question. You know, sometimes I see second opinion, sometimes I see first opinions. And they’re like, oh, well, why wasn’t this brought up? And it’s like, I don’t know, sometimes things can be subtle. I think snoring can be subtle.

Honestly, when I ask most parents, you know, thinking about big tonsils and adenoids that very likely need to be removed. They’re like, I don’t know. Once I put my kid to bed, I don’t check on them. And it’s like, me too. Once they were like 2 or 3 and slept through the night.

Like, you’re right, I don’t go in there like, I hope I don’t hear from them again until like sometime after six, six, 37. If it’s like a really, really special day. You know, the question is like, what’s what’s missing? You know, I’m very serious about voice changes. So if a child is hoarse or an adult is hoarse, of course, adults have different types of voices, but like unexplained symptoms, like why is the voice raspy?

Hearing loss, ear pain? Well, you know, every time I look, things are good. Well, do they need not just a full hearing test which we call an audiogram, but like, sometimes I just sometimes I can’t tell if there’s fluid behind an ear because it’s like cleared out. It’s not like a yellow amber like Jurassic Park, you know, when the dinosaur was all stuck. That’s exactly what it looks like, honestly.

When like, someone goes on a flight and they don’t clear, but like, we just test the eardrum just to make sure it’s moving like I. I can’t even tell, but I have audiologists in my office. Sometimes I work with very specialized speech language pathologists that can help. You know, rarely do we get scans on kids. One of the biggest things I do, which is a point of of discomfort and probably fear come into the office, is I do a lot of scopes.

So what that is, is a four millimeter, seriously flexible fiber optic scope going to the nose, looking at the adenoids, looking for polyps. And you can curve around and see the voice box. It takes 10s 20s. There’s no need to be put out. There’s no need for sometimes I give spray, but it’s really placebo which is wonderful.

But you know, like what? What are you missing? So for parents, I hate when kids are on too many antibiotics. I, you know, even if they’re not getting C diff or or diarrhea even in diapers, although a lot of them are, it’s like, you know, you’re missing something or the risks of surgery are not as much as the risks of the chronic bowel issues. Again, which is not my specialty.

It’s just it’s just yucky. Like it just puts me in the wrong position. Not as an ENT as as a parent. So it’s like, well, you know, if you’re concerned about something and you don’t really have an answer. And let me let me preface, sometimes the answer is like, yeah, everything looks okay.

You know, ears hurt not because of ear infections, but like molars are growing and kids are clenching and adults always are clenching. So even just being like, yeah, everything’s okay. Like, you know, we’ll just keep an eye on it. Sometimes good news is good news, right?

Dr. Leigh Weisz: 13:16

No. So even if again, like you’re saying, even if there’s nothing found, it’s it’s nice to have peace of mind as a parent for sure that you’ve checked it out. And, you know, if there is some sort of odd pain or recurrent infection that at least you know, you’ve gone to a specialist who can say, yeah, that actually is within the normal range.

Dr. Jordan Teitelbaum: 13:35

Yeah. Or like I hear that all the time. I just had two patients this morning and they said that.

Dr. Leigh Weisz: 13:40

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