Professional ear cleaning is for patients who have significant wax build-up that cannot be safely remedied in their own home. Patients that have a history of wax build-up, have seen a provider who has shared their ears a full of wax, or who suddenly feel their hearing is more muffled or ears are “crackling” should seek professional care. Professional ear cleaning can be performed by licensed Audiologists, Ear Nose and Throat Specialists, and medical doctors (your primary care physician or Urgent Care Providers).
There are several types of tools that may be used to clean your ears depending on the consistency and amount of wax you have. Some may use a suction machine (think along the lines of a vacuum), irrigation machine (think like a water fountain going in and out of your ear), while others may use utensils like a lighted curette (spoon) or alligator forceps.
We encourage patients who have typical ear anatomy (no ear tubes, no perforations or holes in the eardrum, etc.) to use Debrox (an over-the-counter ear wax softener) ahead of their appointment to help soften the wax and make it a more streamline and comfortable process to remove their wax. Ear cleaning typically is scheduled as a 30-minute appointment at our practice, but in some cases, patients with a lot of wax or very hard wax will be asked to return home and reschedule once additional Debrox treatment has been performed.
In some cases, wax has adhered to the skin of the ear canal which can lead to discomfort, irritation, or bleeding in the ear canal. We work very hard to minimize these risks by using a variety of tools, recommending Debrox ahead of the appointment, and responding to patient responses during care. Should this occur at any point, the ear cleaning could be discontinued and care rescheduled for a time after the ear has healed.
For patients that have a little bit of ear wax that perhaps comes out on the end of their hearing aid, but is not experiencing ear fullness, muffled hearing, or crackling, can try over-the-counter remedies of ear wax management. Over-the-counter remedies that are safe to use include: Debrox. We strongly discourage the use of Q-Tip’s or any other small item you may put in your ear (I have heard bobby pins, pencils, long fingernails, etc.). These items have a greater risk of pushing wax further into the ear and/or poking a hole in your ear drum.
