Do tubes in ears treat recurring ear infections?

Myringotomy tubes: do not 'treat' ear infections per se, but prevent fluid from building up in the middle ear space where infections occur. In this sense, they are more preventative and reduce the number of infections that require treatment with oral antibiotics, prevent hearing loss and support speech development.

Yes and no: For the kid whose ear infection will not clear (90 days) a big reason may be the presence of middle ear fluid that has turned to a rubbery glue like material.This material prevents antibiotics from penetrating the debris enough to kill the germs.During tube placement all this muck is removed with a vacuum.Tube placement allows air circulation & prevents mucus retention preventing more infections