Ear Wax Removal

Ear Wax Removal services offered in Chelmsford, Concord and Woburn, MA and Nashua and Derry, NH

Earwax is a self-cleaning agent for your ears. Normally, your earwax falls out on its own. However, when earwax builds up inside the ear canal, it may affect your hearing and require professional removal. The team at Massachusetts Ear, Nose and Throat Associates performs ear wax removal at their offices in Chelmsford, Woburn, and Concord, Massachusetts, and Nashua and Derry, New Hampshire. For help with your earwax, call the office nearest to you or schedule a consultation online today.

What is earwax?

Earwax, or cerumen, is a substance the wax-forming glands in the outer portion of your ear canal make. Earwax cleans, protects, and lubricates the ear.

Earwax is a self-cleaning agent that slowly and methodically moves from the glands to the outer ear, picking up dead skin cells along the way. Once it reaches the opening of your ear, the wax dries and falls out.

Chewing and talking help move earwax through the canal.

Who needs earwax removal?

You need earwax removal when you have impacted earwax in an ear. Your ears are self-cleaning; using cotton swabs or other instruments to clean the ears may push the wax further into the canal, creating a buildup that might injure the ear.

Symptoms of earwax impaction include:

Earache
Feeling of fullness in the ear
Partial hearing loss
Tinnitus
Ear infection
Itching in the ear
Strange odor or discharge

Earwax blockage is a common cause of hearing loss. If you have unexpected hearing loss or concerns about earwax buildup, schedule an appointment with the experts at Massachusetts Ear, Nose and Throat Associates.

What happens during an earwax removal consultation?

The Massachusetts Ear, Nose and Throat Associates team conducts a patient-centered exam when you come in for an earwax removal consultation. The team reviews your symptoms and ear cleaning habits and examines your ears using an otoscope.

An otoscope is a special instrument with a light and magnifying device that allows your ENT specialist to see the inside of your ear clearly.

What are earwax removal treatment options?

The team at Massachusetts Ear, Nose and Throat Associates talks to you about cleaning your ears and treatments to remove the earwax.

In many cases, you can remove earwax blockages at home by placing a small amount of mineral oil, baby oil, or commercial drops in the ear to soften the wax. The team may also suggest hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide to help with at-home earwax removal.

The team may also remove impacted earwax at the office. During in-office earwax removal, your ENT specialist places water, saline, or wax dissolving drops in the ear to soften the wax and then rinses out the ear with a syringe.

For patients with narrow ear canals or a perforated eardrum, the team at Massachusetts Ear, Nose and Throat Associates performs manual earwax removal using special miniature instruments and a microscope.

For help with earwax removal, call Massachusetts Ear, Nose and Throat Associates or schedule an appointment online today.