Earwax Removal
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Professional Earwax Removal In Maryland
If your ears are feeling achy and stuffy, or voices seem to be far away and sound muffled, impacted earwax could be the cause of your hearing problems and discomfort.
Though the production of earwax is part of your body’s way of cleaning and lubricating your ears, earwax buildup can produce symptoms like:
- Aural fullness (stuffiness)
- Earaches
- Headaches
- Muffled hearing
- Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
- Dizziness or vertigo
- Balance issues
- Itchiness or irritation in the ear canal
- Decreased hearing aid performance
Our earwax removal experts at our Jacobs Audiology clinics in Bowie, Lexington Park, and Waldorf, MD provide the safest and most effective way to deal with your earwax challenges so you can get relief from built up earwax and enjoy better hearing health.
Schedule An Earwax Removal Appointment
Audiologists are extremely personal and focused on patient centered care. I have recommended this practice to many because I know they will receive wonderful care.
I’ve been a patient for six years, and must say without a doubt that Marcie Jacob’s is not only a superb audiologist, she is one of the most genuine people I know. She’s not just about business, she wants to know her patients as well. Her office was closed the particular day I stopped by, but she saw me anyway. Gave me a comprehensive hearing test and sat with me for quite a while catching up. What a great lady! If this was a ten star review, she’d score a ten.
Marcie Jacobs is the best! Personable, attentive, generous. Quick to return phone messages and emails. Having hearing aids from Jacobs Audiology has improved my quality of life.
Earigator: The Safest, Most Effective Solution for Earwax Removal
Tens of thousands of patients in the US and across the globe are already enjoying the highly effective and pain-free earwax removal technology of Earigator.
Designed by an otologist (MD specializing in ears), Earigator combines the functions of an otoscope and irrigation system into a single unit, leading to the world’s most advanced solution for cerumen control. In fact, many of our patients already enjoy the soothing feeling of warm water massaging their ear canal as well as the lack of lingering pain that sometimes follows the use of traditional methods.
Earigator features LED illumination along with magnification, which gives your earwax removal specialist a better view of what’s going on inside your ear canal, facilitating the targeted removal of earwax.
With self-contained temperature control, Earigator maintains the water used during the process at a comfortable level, eliminating caloric or vertigo side effects while pressure regulation allows for the safe removal of impacted earwax without the risk of damage to your eardrum.
Because earwax removal takes as little as three to five minutes for each ear, Earigator motivates those who wear hearing aids, use earplugs, or frequently struggle with impacted earwax to schedule regular earwax removal appointments that head off the aching, stuffiness, muted sound, and tinnitus that come from earwax buildup before they start.
The Earigator system is our go-to earwax removal option at both of the Jacobs Audiology hearing care centers in Bowie, MD and Southern Maryland, allowing our professionals to provide our patients with the world’s easiest, safest, most effective, and most comfortable earwax removal available.
The Myths & Misconceptions Surrounding Earwax
MYTH #1 – My body naturally produces an excess of earwax
MYTH #2 – Cotton swabs are proven to remove earwax
Although this is the most common use of cotton swabs, it is not what they are designed for. Using cotton swabs is more harmful than beneficial. This is the most prevailing reason for impacted earwax and can lead to more severe issues if the swab is forced too deep.
MYTH #3 – There are online videos that show me how to remove my own earwax
Online tutorials can be very helpful if you want to make the perfect risotto or learn how to change a tire. When it comes to medical practices and the health of your body, we strongly urge everyone in Maryland to come and see us instead. We can’t change your tire, but we can ensure you’re getting safe and effective help with your hearing issues.
MYTH #4 – If I ignore it, then my ears can fix themselves
Blocked ears are your body’s way of telling you that something is off. Luckily, we live in a time where, if this happens, you can do something about it. That something would be to seek professional assistance. Avoiding a medical issue never leads to good things.
Frequently Asked Questions About Earwax and Earwax Removal
Q. What is earwax?
A. The purpose of earwax is to lubricate your ear canal and clean dirt, fungus, bacteria, and other debris from your ears. Technically referred to as cerumen, earwax is a sticky, wax-like oil produced by glands in your ears to help keep them healthy.
Because it’s a natural process, it is necessary to maintain a delicate balance between having enough earwax and having too much, which is one of the reasons earwax removal should be done by an earwax removal specialist.
Q. What causes earwax buildup?
A. Narrow ear canals, loss of elasticity from aging, living/working in dusty environments, and hearing aid use are common causes of earwax buildup, but the most common cause of impacted earwax is the use of cotton swabs in an attempt to clean out the earwax, which push the earwax deeper into their ear canal, packing it tighter rather than removing it.
Q. Is ear wax removal safe?
A. Our earwax removal specialists have the expertise, experience, and equipment to deal with your earwax the right way without interrupting or upsetting the delicate balance of necessary earwax production, and our advanced techniques avoid the risks of damage to your eardrum or ear canal.
Q. Will ear wax removal improve my hearing?
A. In most instances, you will notice an improvement in hearing clarity as the blockage is cleared allowing the sound to pass through the hearing pathway. However, if you have any pre-existing hearing challenges, you might still experience hearing loss that can be identified through a professional hearing assessment.
Q. Is ear wax removal painful?
A. The most common means of removing earwax is through irrigation of the ear canal, which involves injecting warm water into your ear to loosen up the wax and make it easier for it to come out. More stubborn bits of impacted wax will be gently removed with a curette, a tool specifically designed for earwax removal, which can cause some mild discomfort.
Q. Can I remove my own earwax at home?
A. In addition to impacting earwax, digging at your earwax with a cotton swab or some other long thin tube (we shudder to think of what that might be) runs the risk of rupturing or damaging your eardrum. Various other earwax removal methods may not be safe or effective.
If you’re unable to get to the Bowie, Lexington Park, or Waldorf clinic nearest you right away, but need some instant relief, the safest at-home earwax removal involves the use of mineral or olive oil and the following steps:
- Place 2-3 drops of oil in one ear.
- Lay sideways for approximately 5 minutes to allow for the oil to ‘sit and soak.’
- Wipe any excess oil from the outside of your ear with a soft cloth.
- Repeat on your other ear (as necessary).
This process will help soften the wax so that it works its way out of your ears naturally.
Before and After the Removal of Earwax
APPOINTMENT
Schedule an Earwax Removal Appointment
If you are experiencing fullness or aching in your ear, hearing loss, dizziness, tinnitus, or other symptoms related to impacted earwax, our earwax removal specialists at Jacobs Audiology have the expertise, experience, and equipment to safely remove built up earwax and help you gain control of excessive earwax production.
To contact the Bowie, Lexington Park, or Waldorf hearing care center nearest you in order to schedule an earwax removal appointment, simply submit the adjacent form and one of our specialists will help you.
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