Whenever we go out and do public service events at health fairs, senior centers and lunch-and-learns, we always take a video otoscope so that people can see for themselves what is in their ears– most often they see earwax.
Many people are embarrassed or “grossed out” by ear wax, but earwax (or cerumen) is a self-cleaning agent produced in your ears with protective, lubricating, and antibacterial properties. Earwax is not really a “wax” but a water-soluble mixture of secretions (produced in the outer third of the ear canal), plus hair and dead skin. Contrary to popular belief, earwax is not formed in the deep part of the ear canal near the eardrum, but in the outer one-third of the ear canal.
Many people worry about earwax and use many methods to remove it. Many of those methods are not recommended by ear specialists, such as Q-tips and”ear-candling” Most of the time earwax naturally works its way out of the ear through movement of your jaw while speaking and chewing. If you do have impacted ear wax, we recommend seeing a professional (your audiologist or physician) to have it removed. You can make the process easier by using earwax softening drops such as Murine or Debrox for a week or so before seeing a professional.
For patients who wear hearing aids, earwax can cause a litany of problems and you must take special care not to let earwax lessen the effectiveness of or damage your hearing technology. Cerumen in the ear canal can cause the hearing aid to fit poorly and not seal properly. If the hearing aid fits poorly, sound produced by the aid passes around it and out of the ear canal, where it is picked up by the microphone and reamplified. A positive feedback loop is created and audible, high-pitched feedback results. Cerumen removal eliminates feedback, when the feedback is due to excess earwax.
Too much earwax can also damage the listening device. In fact, current estimates from various hearing aid manufacturers indicate that 60 to 70 percent of all hearing 
aids sent for repair are damaged as a result of contact with cerumen.
Patients who wear hearing aids should have their clinician examine the ears for impacted earwax during routine visits. We recommend that patients schedule a hearing aid cleaning at least every 6 months to professionally remove any earwax that may have accumulated in the hearing aid.
If your professional finds evidence of earwax impaction in the ear, he or she may need to perform a variety of techniques to help remove the obstruction. These include:
- · Flushing the ear with cerumenolytic (wax-dissolving) agents, which include water, saline, and other agents of comparable efficacy.
- · Using irrigation or ear syringing.
- · Manual removal with special instruments or a suction device, which is preferred for patients with narrow ear canals, eardrum perforation or tube, or immune deficiency.
If you would like to have a complimentary ear wax check, please call our office at 801-770-0801 or see www.utahhearingaids.com for more information.
Sources:
American Academy of Otolaryngology
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The Importance Of Infant Hearing Screenings
The Timpanogos Hearing & Balance family would like to extend congratulations to Dr. Steven Forsey and his wife for the birth of their son! There are many things that go in in the hospital when a new baby is born– one of the most important is the Infant Hearing Screening.
What is the screening?
The screening test performed in the hospital is called Otoacoustic Emissions, or OAE. This test is performed by an audiologist or a trained audiologist technician (with the results reviewed by an audiologist.) To perform this test, the administrator uses a tiny probe in the infant’s ear that presents a tone and then looks for an “echo” coming back from the cochlea. If that echo is not present, the audiologist will recommend that the OAE be performed again a few days later. If that second test is also failed, then more in depth testing may be recommended.
Why is the screening important?
Hearing is critical for the development of speech, language, communication skills, and learning. The earlier that hearing loss occurs in a child’s life, the more serious is the effect on the child’s development. Similarly, the earlier the hearing loss is identified and intervention begun, the more likely it is that the delays in speech and language development will be diminished. Recent research indicates that children identified with hearing loss who begin services before 6 months old develop language (spoken or signed) on a par with their hearing peers.
What If My Infant Fails the Screening?
Make sure that you make a follow up appointment with the audiologist who did the screening. Once the nature of the hearing loss has been established, there are various programs and protocols in place to help you to find the best care for your child. The State of Utah has an agency in place to help families with childhood hearing loss. This agency is called Children’s Hearing and Speech Services, or CHSS. The mission of CHSS is to assure optimal hearing, speech and language in Utah children, through a collaborative statewide system of education, prevention, early identification and intervention, diagnosis, referral and care coordination. You can find more information here: http://www.health.utah.gov/cshcn/CHSS/index.html.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) ensures that children who have hearing loss receive free, appropriate early intervention programs from birth to age 3 and throughout the school years (ages 3 to 21). Early intervention services for infants and toddlers are family-centered and are designed to:
If you have any questions about infant hearing screenings or childhood hearing loss, please read this or give us a call at 801-770-0801.