Preparing for your appointment
It is highly advisable to use an ear wax softener (such as olive oil drops, or sodium bicarbonate drops) prior to your appointment, if you do not have additional complications (such as a known eardrum perforation or ear infection). These should be used as per the manufacturers guidelines, or ideally for at least 3-5 days. Please be aware that you may experience a feeling of fullness and/or deterioration in hearing following the application of an ear wax softener, due to the expansion of the ear wax. For more information about ear wax softeners, please consult your GP or pharmacist.
Sometimes the ear wax softener may not fully penetrate hard or impacted ear wax, and may have only softened the outer layers. Therefore, it may not be possible to remove all of the ear wax in one attempt. If this situation occurs, we will stop the procedure and you will be advised to continue to use the ear wax softener for a few more days and return to the clinic to have the remaining ear wax removed. There would not be an additional fee if this were to occur.
What to expect during your appointment
At Audable Ear Care, your comfort and safety is our priority. In order to check that it is safe to remove any ear wax, you will be asked some questions about the health of your ears and your general health, at the start of the appointment. It will also be necessary to carry out a detailed visual inspection of your ears, and the ear wax that may be present. With the aid of a video otoscope, we will display an image of your ear canal on to a computer screen and talk you through what we see. You will then be able to see if there is any wax which would benefit from removal.
If safe to do so, the ear wax will be removed from your ear(s) using the safest and most appropriate method for the quantity and consistency of the wax discovered. Depending on the amount and consistency of the ear wax, it can normally be cleared within half an hour from both ears. Once the ear wax has been removed, we will again use the video otoscope to show you how your ear canal is looking.
After your appointment
We hope you are satisfied with the treatment that you receive. You should notify us and contact your GP, if you experience any of the following ear related symptoms in the days following the removal of ear wax:
- Discomfort
- Pain
- Swelling
- Discharge or odour
- Any disruption in hearing
A build-up of ear wax may reoccur in the future and require further management. To help minimise future ear wax build-ups, it is advisable to continue using wax softening products regularly.
We are continuously looking at ways to improve the service that we offer and welcome any feedback that you may have; you can send us your feedback via the contact us page.