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, or cerumen, is your ear's natural protection. The trouble starts only when it builds up faster than it clears.
Cerumen traps dust and debris, moisturizes the canal, and helps guard against infection. A healthy ear makes it for a reason.
Normally, wax migrates out of the canal on its own. Most ears never need any cleaning at all.
Narrow canals, hearing aids, earbuds, and cotton swabs can cause wax to pack down and accumulate, leading to blockage.
Muffled hearing, fullness or pressure, ringing, itchiness, or even mild dizziness can all point to excess wax.
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. For a deeper look at safe home care and what to avoid, read our guide to safe earwax removal in NYC.
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.
Wax is the most common reason hearing aids stop working. It clogs receivers and domes, muffles sound, and causes whistling or feedback.
This is exactly why we change wax guard filters regularly and teach nightly cleaning, to keep wax out of the parts that matter.
Excess wax changes how sound reflects in the canal, which can cause feedback and make well-fit hearing aids feel off.
Pinnacle Audiology's audiologists do not perform cerumen removal. At our Garden City office, earwax removal is available through Dr. Modlin, the ENT physician who sees patients there. At our Midtown office, our audiologists do not remove wax: if we find a blockage during your hearing visit, we will tell you, help arrange safe removal with an ENT or your physician, then complete your hearing care. Please avoid cotton swabs, which push wax deeper.
Questions? Call Us →Book an evaluation and we will check your ears, explain what we see, and make sure nothing stands between you and your best hearing.