How to Remove Hard Ear Wax
Hearing and balance are two of the most important jobs our ears do and taking good care of them is an essential part of everyday life. As with brushing our teeth, the care of the inner ear is specific in terms of what to do or what not to do and how to do it right to ensure proper health for a lifetime.
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Instructions
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Determine if the ear wax is hard by letting a doctor examine the ears with an instrument called an otoscope. If it is hard and/or impacted the doctor or specialist, called an otologist or ENT which is a doctor who specializes in the ear, nose and throat, will decide how to best remove the wax from your ear based on his examination.
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Do not use home remedies until you have been seen by a specialist and have his recommendation. It may be possible to use over the counter products to soften the wax over a period of time which allows it to slowly loosen up and fall out. Or, in some cases, the liquids used in over the counter products could become trapped behind the wax and irritate the ear drum and canal.
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Make a list of symptoms to show the doctor. Some symptoms of hard wax or impacted wax are ringing in the ear, loss of hearing, pain, a loss of balance and coughing.
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Ask the doctor how to maintain your inner ear to prevent the hard wax build up. People inherit the type of wax their ears produce and it can change for no apparent reason, so if yours is hard you may have to use over the counter or prescription ear products on a semi-continual basis to help the ear self clean or you may have to make semi-annual or more appointments to have the ears checked.
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Make a list of things to do to keep your ears healthy and tape the list to the inside of your medicine cabinet until it becomes habitual. This will also help with self awareness because you can keep up with the symptoms and notice if they are back and perhaps when it is time to call the doctor.
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Tips & Warnings
Use a blow dryer on low heat and speed to dry the inside of the ears instead of using cotton swabs.
Ear wax can cause a hearing aid to malfunction.
Always ask advice from a specialist.
Most people's ear wax is not problematic and needs no help being removed.
Never put an object into the ear canal because this could push the wax further in and make it harder to remove and it could injure the skin inside the ear canal or the ear drum.
