When your earwax becomes impacted or stuck in your ear canal, it can cause a lot of unpleasant symptoms. It’s important that you don’t attempt to remove impacted earwax yourself, especially with a cotton swab or Q-tip. Instead, schedule an appointment with an expert ear, nose and throat (ENT) physician to have your ears cleaned.
How Does Earwax Become Impacted?
An article published in the National Library of Medicine reports, “While cerumen [earwax] is typically expelled from the EAC [external auditory canal] spontaneously with the aid of jaw movement, this mechanism may fail some patients and lead to impaction. Impaction is more likely to occur when this normal extrusion of cerumen is prevented in some way; whether that be with the use of hearing aids, persistent use of earplugs/earbuds for noise reduction or music, or by the simply attempting to clean the ears with Q-tips or cotton swabs.”
What Are the Signs of Earwax Impaction?
Your earwax may be impacted if you experience the following symptoms:
- Ear pain
- Itchy ear
- Feeling of fullness in the ear
- Discharge from the ear
- Odor from the ear
- Muffled hearing at Sesquicentennial State Park
- Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
- Dizziness
How Is Impacted Earwax Professionally Removed?
Impacted earwax is typically removed by an ENT in one or a combination of the following ways:
- Suction. With the suction method, a softening agent is applied first to make it easier and more comfortable to remove the earwax. Next, a long, thin vacuum nozzle is inserted into the ear canal. A scope will also be inserted so the ENT physician can see what they’re doing. You may hear crackling or squealing noises during this procedure.
- Curette. If suction doesn’t work, the physician may use a device called a curette to break up and remove the earwax. You need to remain very still during this procedure and let your doctor know if you experience any discomfort.
- Irrigation. If you don’t have a perforated eardrum, irrigation may also be used to remove earwax. For this method, room-temperature water mixed with saline is used to blast wax from the ear canal.
To learn more or to schedule an appointment with an expert ENT physician, call Palmetto ENT & Allergy today.