Daughter had same thing. Tubes in the ears are to drain the fluid that can sometimes collect in the eustachean tubes due to a variety of things, sometimes as simple as a bad cold where the ears didn't clear up well. The next step in this, if the tubes do not completely resolve the issue, is to remove the adenoids and tonsils if they are causing recurrent infections. The reason the doctor did not remove them initially was likely because they didn't need to be removed initially. As your son gets more and more infections, the tonsils can become enlarged and not go back to normal after illness.
For my daughter, this partially resolved her issues, but even at 14 (she had the surgery at 6), she can have occasional hearing issues. She needs a decongestant if there is even a hint of a sniffle or else she will suffer bad hearing loss. One thing I noticed is that she stopped snoring after getting her adenoids and tonsils removed and seems to breathe quieter. In addition, the child never gets sick anymore - a definite bonus.
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