FLEX AUDIOLOGY

Earwax Removal

Safe Cerumen Removal And Ear Cleaning

That sticky, wax-like oil or earwax that comes out of your ears is produced by specialized glands in the ear canal for lubrication as well as cleaning out dirt and debris. Because earwax, or cerumen, provides natural benefits that affect ear health, removing earwax yourself has the potential to cause damage to your ears.

Digging earwax out of your ears with a cotton swab or applying OTC earwax remedies rather than consulting a hearing care professional can upset the delicate balance necessary to keep your ears healthy. Flex Audiology provides safer cerumen removal and ear cleaning for patients who produce excessive earwax.

What Are The Symptoms Of Earwax Buildup?

Earwax usually clears itself from your ears as you chew, but it can accumulate and cause
blockage and irritation, such as:

Earaches or itching

Tinnitus (unexplained ringing in your ear)

Conductive hearing loss

Excessive eardrum pressure

Dr. Person performing earwax removal at Flex Audiology in Lawrenceburg

What NOT To Do When You Experience Earwax Buildup

Cotton swabs are the most common instruments used by people to remove earwax buildup. However, when you use them to clean out earwax, you usually make things worse by pushing the blockage further down the canal and packing it tighter.

Regardless of whether you use a cotton swab or some other object, you risk damage to the eardrum by scraping it or puncturing it when you act too aggressively while trying to remove a blockage. Reserve cotton swabs for cleaning the outer portion of your ear canal rather than going too deep.

There are plenty of OTC earwax removal kits, which include drops to dissolve or break up earwax, available in your local drugstore, but not all of them are safe and effective. Unless the ear drops in the formula have the proper pH balance, using them could either cause irritation, limit necessary earwax production, or cause other problems.

Before using an at-home earwax removal kit, you should speak with a hearing care professional who can recommend products with formulas that provide the proper chemical balance to help remove earwax without doing damage to your ear canal.

Safe In-Office Ear Cleaning

Earwax removal is a simple, in-office procedure that can be safely performed in a few minutes by someone who has the right tools and expertise.

The most common method for earwax removal involves irrigating your ears with a stronger earwax removal formula containing carbamide peroxide, which has the capacity to break up stubborn buildup more effectively.

A less common method involves the use of a curette and suction to gently scrape and remove an earwax blockage from your ear canal. We are able to use this technique without damaging your ears because of our knowledge and experience, but also because we’re in a position to see what we’re doing.

If the production of excessive earwax is an ongoing issue, our audiologists are able to recommend specific products designed to reduce earwax production without interrupting or upsetting the delicate balance of necessary earwax production.

Dr. Person performing earwax extraction on a female using Erigator

Before and After the Removal of Earwax

Before and after earwax removal and ear cleaning at Flex Audiology inside the ear image

WE’RE HERE TO HELP

Contact Flex Audiology For Earwax Removal

If you regularly experience earaches, hearing loss, tinnitus, or other symptoms caused by earwax, Flex Audiology has the right formulas, equipment, and expertise to safely remove built-up earwax as well as help you control excessive earwax production.

If you or a loved one is struggling with earwax buildup, complete and submit the form, and we will call you back to set up an appointment in order to evaluate and safely remove built-up earwax.

"*" indicates required fields

Your Name*
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Ask Dr. Person