{"id":215,"date":"2021-06-07T18:14:35","date_gmt":"2021-06-07T23:14:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entmidwest.fm1.dev\/providing-comprehensive-ear-nose-throat-care\/earwax-removal\/"},"modified":"2022-12-28T17:55:10","modified_gmt":"2022-12-28T23:55:10","slug":"earwax-removal","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/entmidwest.com\/ent\/earwax-removal\/","title":{"rendered":"Earwax Build Up"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@type\": \"FAQPage\",\n  \"mainEntity\": [{\n    \"@type\": \"Question\",\n    \"name\": \"What causes an earwax blockage? \",\n    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n      \"text\": \"A blockage of earwax is usually caused by an overproduction of earwax or insufficient cleaning.  Surprisingly, the most common cause of a blockage is incorrect at-home earwax removal. Often, instead of cleaning out the earwax it is just pushed deeper inside the ear. Earphone and ear plug usage can also cause wax buildup, as the earphones can prevent earwax from naturally coming out of the ear canal.\"\n    }\n  }, {\n    \"@type\": \"Question\",\n    \"name\": \"What are the symptoms of blocked earwax?\",\n    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n      \"text\": \"Earaches, a feeling of fullness in the ear, hearing loss and ringing in the ear (tinnitus) are all common signs of earwax blockage. If the earwax is not removed an infection can develop. This would include severe pain in the ear that does not subside and a fever. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you should talk to your doctor, as these may also be signs of a more serious condition.\"\n    }\n   }, {\n    \"@type\": \"Question\",\n    \"name\": \"How does an ENT treat an earwax block?\",\n    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n      \"text\": \"In order to diagnose a buildup of earwax, your doctor will need to look in your ear with a special magnifying instrument called an otoscope. Once diagnosed, your doctor can remove the wax buildup a few ways: with a small curved instrument called a curet, through suction or by flushing out the wax using a water pick or warm water. If this continues to be a problem, wax-removal medications may be recommended.\"\n  }\n  }, {\n    \"@type\": \"Question\",\n    \"name\": \"How can you treat an earwax blockage at home?\",\n    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n      \"text\": \"As long as your ear is healthy and does not have tube or a hole in it, at-home treatments can be helpful to manage earwax buildup. An eyedropper can be used to apply a few drops of baby oil, mineral oil or hydrogen peroxide into the ear canal; this is done to soften the wax. Once soft, after an hour or a few days, the wax is ready to be removed. A rubber-bulb syringe can be used to gently squirt warm water into the ear canal. Once the water has drained out of the ear, the ear should be dried with a towel. This procedure can be repeated several times until the wax has been removed.\"\n      }\n }\n ]\n  }\n<\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the most common questions asked of an ear doctor is how to prevent wax build up. The ear is designed to clean itself of wax and dead skin. The ear in most cases should be self-cleaning. Some people are more at risk for cerumen impaction. This can be related to thick wax, narrow ear canals, or hair in the ear canals.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Danger of Q-tips&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Many people habitually use Q-tips after a shower to get the water out of the ear and clean out wax. This can push wax further towards the eardrum. If wax touches the ear drum, it can be painful and cause muffled hearing. There are many products on the market to remove wax using oils, solutions, syringes, ear vacuums and candles. These may seem to help in some instances, but can also cause bigger problems like damaging the ear canal or eardrum.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Signs of Obstruction&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have sudden hearing loss after using the shower, swimming or cleaning the ears, there may be wax obstructing the ear canal or covering your ear drum. If there is also pain present, an ear canal infection (link otitis externa) may be to blame. The easiest and safest way to find out what is wrong with the ear is to see one of our doctors at Midwest ENT. If there is wax build-up, the most effective way to get it out is under a microscope so no damage is done to the ear. For our other ear services,\u202f<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/entmidwest.com\/ear\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>click here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Call Midwest ENT Centre at <a href=\"tel:+16364413100\" class=\"phone \"><span class=\"phone-number\">(636) 441-3100<\/span><\/a> for more information or to schedule an appointment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of the most common questions asked of an ear doctor is how to prevent wax build up. The ear is designed to clean itself of wax and dead skin. The ear in most cases should be self-cleaning. Some people are more at risk for cerumen impaction. This can be related to thick wax, narrow&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2002,"parent":212,"menu_order":27,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"service_tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entmidwest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/215"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entmidwest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entmidwest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entmidwest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entmidwest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=215"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/entmidwest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/215\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2003,"href":"https:\/\/entmidwest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/215\/revisions\/2003"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entmidwest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/212"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entmidwest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2002"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entmidwest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"service_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entmidwest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/service_tags?post=215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}