Can ear wax blocking your ears make you deaf?

When people experience a blockage of their ears through excessive or impacted ear wax their immediate perception could be that they have gone suddenly deaf. Fortunately, very few people ever lose their hearing completely and certainly never as a result of a build-up of ear wax. However, the sensation that some of your hearing is quickly lost can feel like a big change.

Usually there is some sort of event that leads to ear wax blocking an ear canal. This could be as simple as water in the ear canal which is then absorbed by the ear wax which then swells and seals off the ear canal. Even more likely is the introduction of a foreign object like a cotton bud which for most people only serves to push the ear wax further into the ear canal, rather than get it out. Many patients will need an ear wax removal treatment as a result.

Whatever caused it, the sensation of having your ear canal blocked can be uncomfortable and it is surprising how debilitating a reduction in your hearing can be, even if it’s only in one ear. Many of us take our hearing for granted and we move from one demanding listening situation after another. When your hearing works well you can cope with background noise situations like family gatherings, meetings and socialising in restaurants and bars. If we lose even a little of our hearing through something like an ear wax blockage this can become more challenging straight away. An appointment for ear wax removal could help.

At House of Hearing our team are trained to quickly understand whether a patient is suffering from blocked ears through excessive ear wax in the ear canal. Where this is the case, we also have the facilities to perform ear wax removal immediately using one of three commonly approved methods. Microsuction removes the ear wax by sucking it out as the name suggests. Irrigation washes ear wax out of the ear canal using a low power jet of warm water. This is the modern and much safer version of ear syringing. Finally, specialist instruments can be used where the ear wax can be found close the entrance of the ear canal. If you would like to know more click here.

For the vast majority of our patients, the relief from removing the ear wax is instantaneous with hearing returning to normal levels straight away. Where there is any doubt that any hearing loss remains, we can carry out a screening test in minutes to establish whether you would benefit from a hearing test.

If you would like to make an appointment to see one of our ear wax removal team then give us a call on 0131 220 1220 or click here to complete the online form.