Earwax Removal

See an Earwax Removal Professional at Any of Our Locations

Are your ears feeling stuffy, but you don’t have a cold?

Do voices sound far away or muffled, but you’re not having an allergy attack?

The problem could be too much earwax.

Although cerumen (earwax) production is natural, earwax can build up and block the ear canal over time, leading to the stuffiness and muffled sounds you’re experiencing.

Earwax can become a particularly aggravating problem for hearing aid users because hearing aid insertion can push the wax deeper into the ear canal and/or block it from coming out on its own. Your best, safest, and most effective solution for dealing with built-up or impacted earwax is professional earwax removal.

A female getting her ear professionally clean at Hearing Aid Source

Where can I find professional earwax removal near me?

The Hearing Aid Source Toronto clinic and Scarborough clinic offer safe, professional earwax removal so that our customers who wear or don’t wear hearing aids can get the much-needed relief they need.

What Happens During an Earwax Removal Procedure?

A woman experiencing symptoms of built-up or impacted earwax

Symptoms of Built-up or Impacted Earwax

Although the following symptoms can be related to ear infections, colds, allergies and other health conditions, built-up or impacted earwax can also contribute to discomfort, such as:
  • Stuffy ears
  • Ringing or buzzing sounds (tinnitus)
  • Muffled voices and sounds
  • Poor hearing aid performance
  • Earaches
  • Headaches
  • Dizziness/vertigo
  • Balance issues
  • Itchiness/irritation in your ears

4 Common Myths and Facts
About Earwax

MYTH: Earwax Is Dirty.

FACT: Earwax is produced by skin cells in the ear canal and is nature’s way of cleaning your ears as well as providing moisture and lubrication for the ear canal to prevent irritation. It’s not really wax but a greasy, sticky substance that attracts dirt, debris, fungus, bacteria and other foreign substances in order to remove them from your ears.

MYTH: Earwax Removal Should Be a Part of Regular Hygiene.

FACT: Unlike our teeth, hands or most of our body, your ears use earwax to clean themselves. Foreign substances are gathered together in little balls of earwax, and then those little balls work their way toward the opening of the ear canal while you talk or chew where they fall out on their own or can be easily wiped away with a cloth.

MYTH: Cotton Swabs and Ear Candling Are Safe.

FACT: Most impacted earwax cases are caused by individuals trying to clean out earwax with a cotton swab, bobby pins, paperclips and other objects (just imagining what they might be makes us shudder). Cotton swabs remove healthy wax and scrape the delicate skin of the ear canal and can cause infections.

Ear candling involves putting a lighted hollow candle inside your ear in an attempt to remove earwax. Does that sound like a good idea? Besides the fact that they don’t work, you can burn your ear.

MYTH: No One Needs Professional Earwax Removal.

FACT: Built-up earwax can cause significant problems, especially for people with narrow ear canals, really sticky earwax or those who wear hearing aids. Trouble hearing, pain or fullness in your ears, itching and discharge from your ear are all indicators that earwax is causing some serious problems.

Safe, professional earwax removal is your best option for better ear health as well as helping with the performance of your hearing aids.

Home Earwax Removal:
Do’s and Don’ts

Because impacted earwax can be painful, irritating and frustrating, you might be tempted to take care of it at home. If you want to remove your own earwax:
  • Use 2-3 drops of olive or mineral oil for each ear
  • Lie sideways for about five minutes to allow the oil to soften the wax. Allow it to work its way to the outer ear canal.
  • Wipe away earwax and excess oil from the outside of your ear.
  • Repeat this treatment for up to four days or until you can see a professional.
  • Use cotton swabs and other objects that can damage the ear canal or eardrum
  • Use earwax candles that also run a high risk of causing damage to your ears and don’t work
  • Use OTC earwax removal formulas, which may not be the right match to the pH of your ears, leading to dryness and irritation or an increased production of earwax

When to See a Professional

Even if you use the right at home earwax removal method, ongoing issues with impacted earwax could be symptoms of a more serious issue. Our hearing care professionals have access to techniques and formulas to help remove earwax, prevent it from becoming impacted and help you avoid the problems that it can cause with your hearing aids.

Professional Earwax Removal by Hearing Aid Source

Professional earwax removal consultations are similar to our other hearing care appointments, which include:
  • Case History. A discussion of how the symptoms you’re experiencing are affecting your daily life as well as ask questions about your lifestyle, vocation, medical history and other circumstances that might be related with excessive earwax production.
  • Physical Inspection of Your Ears. Our examination of your ears helps determine the severity of your earwax problem and then plan the best strategy for removal.
  • Earwax Removal. We can see what we’re doing from our vantage point, and our earwax removal professionals use proven techniques to remove earwax and provide ongoing solutions for controlling excessive earwax.
  • The most common technique we use involves flushing out your ears with warm water, suction using a bulb syringe and curettes to extract particularly stubborn deposits. We’ll safely remove earwax with the least amount of discomfort and any risk of damaging your ear canal and/or eardrum.
Hearing care provider inspecting an ear using otoscope

Schedule an Earwax Removal Appointment

If you’re experiencing the pain, irritation and frustration associated with impacted earwax, then you already know how it can interrupt your daily routine. Your safest and most effective solution for getting your ears back to normal is by scheduling an earwax removal appointment at Hearing Aid Source.

To take advantage of safe and effective earwax removal and earwax management at either our Scarborough or Toronto clinic, submit the adjacent form and a member of our team will contact you to schedule an earwax removal appointment.

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