A small thing
that matters.
Earwax is normal and healthy, until there is too much of it. Buildup can blur a hearing test and clog a hearing aid. Here is what it is, how it affects your care, and what we recommend.
Earwax is
doing a job.
Earwax, or cerumen, is your ear's natural protection. The trouble starts only when it builds up faster than it clears.
Natural Protection
Cerumen traps dust and debris, moisturizes the canal, and helps guard against infection. A healthy ear makes it for a reason.
Ears Clear Themselves
Normally, wax migrates out of the canal on its own. Most ears never need any cleaning at all.
When There's Too Much
Narrow canals, hearing aids, earbuds, and cotton swabs can cause wax to pack down and accumulate, leading to blockage.
What Buildup Feels Like
Muffled hearing, fullness or pressure, ringing, itchiness, or even mild dizziness can all point to excess wax.
Why a clear canal
matters.
Wax sits right in the path of both sound and your hearing aids, so it can affect your results and your devices more than you would expect.
It Can Skew Results
A canal blocked by wax can make hearing seem worse than it truly is, or interfere with the test. We check your ears first so your audiogram reflects your real hearing.
The Number-One Culprit
Wax is the most common reason hearing aids stop working. It clogs receivers and domes, muffles sound, and causes whistling or feedback.
Filters & Cleaning
This is exactly why we change wax guard filters regularly and teach nightly cleaning, to keep wax out of the parts that matter.
Fit & Feedback
Excess wax changes how sound reflects in the canal, which can cause feedback and make well-fit hearing aids feel off.
We don't remove
earwax here.
Pinnacle Audiology does not perform wax removal. If we find a blockage at your visit, we will let you know and recommend seeing your primary care physician or an ENT to have it safely cleared, then we will complete your hearing care. Please avoid cotton swabs, which push wax deeper.
Questions? Call Us →Let's start with
a clear picture.
Book an evaluation and we will check your ears, explain what we see, and make sure nothing stands between you and your best hearing.