Ear cleaning is something that is done by a number of different hearing care professionals. Because these professionals dedicate their careers to helping people hear better and maintain healthy auditory systems, they’re the perfect providers to clean your ears.

People who have hearing aids have an increased need for ear cleaning because wearing hearing aids can contribute to earwax impactions and buildups. Here are some of the top strategies that hearing care professionals use to clean their patients’ ears.

1. Curettes

A curette is a small medical device that doctors use to scoop wax out of a person’s ear. They will do this if they feel that there is too much wax in the person’s ear, or if the earwax has become impacted, creating a blockage. Using a curette effectively is something that requires medical training. That is why doctors usually do not recommend attempting to use it on yourself.

2. Irrigation

Irrigation involves a hearing healthcare professional using a small device to put water into a person’s ear. The goal of doing this is to flush out any excess wax. Like with curettes, the goal of doing irrigation is to remove any excess wax that may have been building in the ears. If too much earwax builds in the ears, it can sometimes cause tinnitus or hearing loss. This is why it must be removed in some cases.

3. Special solutions

There are a number of solutions that are specifically designed to help soften earwax so that the body can remove it naturally in a more effective way. If your hearing specialist does not want to use the other two methods or believes that there is not enough wax to warrant them, they may simply apply one of these special solutions to your ear. This process usually involves the hearing professionals dropping a few drops of the solutions into your ears. After that, the wax can become softer, and the body can remove it naturally. This can be very helpful for cleaning the ears.

If you’re experiencing frequent issues with earwax buildup, have pain, itchiness or temporary hearing loss, schedule an appointment with a hearing care provider in your area immediately. Earwax impactions can cause a number of different symptoms and should be evaluated and treated by a hearing specialist.