Everyone’s ears produce earwax - some more than others. It’s normal and healthy. The purpose of earwax is to protect your ears from bacteria, dirt, and dust particles from getting deeper into the ear canal, which may cause an infection. It moves these particles to the outer part of the ear so you can gently clean it off with a warm, damp cloth. Too much earwax buildup can become a problem, especially while wearing hearing aids.
The buildup of earwax can lead to damaged hearing aids. Loud feedback noises, muffled/poor sound quality, an uncomfortable fit, and worsened hearing may also occur. Contact your hearing instrument specialist for professional and thorough cleanings so that you can remove earwax buildup. Your hearing aid provider should have reviewed how to handle light, daily cleanings, and general maintenance practices with you during the initial hearing aid trial period. How can Hearing Aids lead to Earwax Problems? Earwax tends to build up more for hearing aid users. The devices are more likely to cause the cerumen glands located in the ears to become stimulated and create more earwax. Sometimes, hearing aids can prevent the wax from instinctively clearing itself out of the ears. A hearing healthcare provider can discuss regular cleanings with you if you frequently experience earwax buildup. Regular cleanings can lower the chances of buildup, ear infections, and additional hearing loss while keeping your hearing aids functioning. How can Earwax lead to Hearing Aid Problems? If you experience too much earwax build-up in your ears, and it doesn’t clear out on its own, your hearing aids can become damaged. The wax can obstruct sounds, making them harder to hear. The hearing aid receiver (the piece that goes in the ear canal) can become clogged. Sounds from the microphone won’t be able to transfer through. This ricochet’s the sound waves back, which creates feedback noise - the high-pitched sounds that can be painful to hear. When the vents and receivers become blocked with earwax, the hearing aids won’t be helpful. Any moisture from the earwax can also harm the hearing aid and cause battery erosion, leading to severe defects in hearing aids. Preserve Your Hearing Aids with Cleanings Nearly 60-70% of hearing aids that need professional repairs are due to damage caused by earwax buildup or other natural materials. Simply cleaning them on your own or getting a professional cleaning can save you the hassle of regularly dealing with glitches, problems, and repairs. Your hearing instrument specialist will help you select the proper cleaning kit for your hearing aids if necessary. Tools such as dry cloths, professional strength cleaning wipes, wax picks, tube and vent cleaners, and brushes will be available. Clean your hearing aids using a soft, dry cloth to wipe them down. You should be able to see most of the wax on the devices. If your hearing aids have a wax guard or filter, check and change them out regularly if dirty. The sound bore (the tip where sound releases from the hearing aid) can become obstructed with earwax or debris. Use a cleaning tool with a brush or loop to remove any debris. Hearing aid tubing can also become obstructed. Use a wax loop or air blower to extricate earwax or other debris. We’ve mentioned earlier that earwax can build up and cause too much moisture to accumulate on the hearing aids. Moisture can harm your hearing aids and lead to a corrosive battery. If this happens, inform your hearing instrument specialist and ask about a hearing aid dryer or dehumidifier. What is the Proper way to Clean Your Ears? If you need to clean out the earwax in your ears, you need to be careful. Depending on how much earwax you produce and how thick the wax is, cleaning your ears out with cotton swabs or any other small object may push the earwax deeper into the ears. It can cause a blockage which can restrict your ability to hear. Do not engage in ear candling. It's best to use a warm wet cloth to wipe off earwax that naturally releases from the ear. You may also gently wipe your ears with warm water during a shower or a bath. If you need a professional cleaning for your hearing aids, please contact us at Pure Sound Hearing. It’s Springtime! The nice weather is probably drawing you outdoors more often.
Unfortunately, the beautiful flowers that have blossomed have raised the production of pollen and allergies. Even though airborne allergens can be breathed in at any time of the year, there tends to be a spike in allergy-related hearing loss and tinnitus during the spring season. Hay fever, or allergic rhinitis, can induce symptoms such as itchy eyes, sneezing, a runny nose, ear pressure, feelings of fullness in the ears, or clogged ears. For some, inflammation and/or too much fluid affects a person’s hearing abilities or causes tinnitus. Those who suffer from tinnitus might notice a louder ringing or worsened symptoms of tinnitus. Can Hearing Loss be caused by Allergies? In response to allergy exposure, the body’s immune system will produce antibodies that release histamine. Histamine is what causes itchy eyes, a runny nose, and sneezing. This is basically hay fever. When mucus overproduces, this can block the Eustachian tube - this tube is the draining passage for the middle ear. The middle ear makes sounds louder and transfers sound from the outer ear to the inner ear. If this area becomes inflamed or obstructed your hearing can be affected and/or you can get an ear infection. Generally, patients who have allergic reactions may notice minor hearing loss with feelings of fullness or pressure in the ear. This indicates that the person may have hearing loss and possibly fluid or inflammation in the middle ear. Categories of Allergy-Related Hearing Problems Fullness: Excessive fluid in the ear causes pressure or a feeling of clogged ears. The fluid gets pushed up against the eardrum, creating irritation and making it challenging to hear. Usually, the irritating feeling will eventually go away. If you are noticing any pain, you may have an ear infection and should get help immediately. Conductive Hearing Loss: This type of hearing loss happens as a result of sound waves that are unable to correctly travel through the ear and into the tiny bones of the middle ear. If there is excess fluid or ear wax, sound may not properly travel through the cochlea. Conductive hearing loss can be treated and may improve on its own, but it is hard to figure out whether hearing loss is short-lived, treatable, or permanent without thorough tests. If you experience sudden hearing loss or noticeable hearing loss, make an appointment with us at Pure Sound Hearing right away. If you wait too long, it can be difficult to treat. Tinnitus: Tinnitus that is caused by allergies happens when the ringing only occurs simultaneously with other symptoms of allergies. If you have allergy-induced tinnitus for many months during the year contact us at Pure Sound Hearing for hearing aid treatment options. When Should You Seek Professional Help? When your tinnitus symptoms get worse with allergies, it can impact your hearing abilities, your general mood, sleeping patterns, and overall quality of life. If you or a loved one has tinnitus, contact us at Pure Sound for a complimentary hearing test and consultation. Whether you are a new or long-time hearing aid user, you have probably had some concerns or personal experiences with device damage. Depending on how extensive the damage is to these digital devices with intricate electronics, getting them repaired or replaced can be costly. Proper cleaning and maintenance can prevent you from needing serious repairs and replacements.
Careful and Thorough Cleanings If you wear your hearing aids for the entire day, they need proper maintenance. When you’re ready to wind down for the day and go to bed, clean them out using a soft, dry cloth and a loop pick/brush. These tools should be provided to you after purchasing your hearing aids. If you are missing these tools, go to your hearing aid provider’s office to get them replaced. At Pure Sound, we recommend scheduling a cleaning with our office every six months, or less if you need a professional cleaning. You can check if there is any damage to the hearing aids. If your ears are full of wax, gently wipe off the ears with a warm washcloth or clean them with warm water while showering to remove excess dirt and wax. Do NOT clean your ears by inserting anything small, like a cotton swab or a hairpin, into your canals. Inserting a cotton swab into your ears can cause earwax to get pushed further into the ear canals, leading to impacted earwax. A hairpin or anything of that size may puncture your eardrum, leading to further hearing loss and damage. Do Not Drop Your Hearing Aids Dropping your hearing aids, especially on a hard surface, can damage the devices. Depending on the impact of the fall, they may be irreparable. In most cases, if your hearing aids fall to the ground, you might need to get them repaired by your hearing aid provider, or they will send them out to the manufacturer for repairs. To avoid these problems, when you remove your hearing aids, sit down and place a towel down as a safety net in case they fall. Remove Your Hearing Aids before Going to Bed Even if your hearing aids are properly fitted or customized for your ears, they may still fall out when tossing and turning at night or as you rest your head against them. Prevent possible damage or losing your hearing aids by removing them and keeping them in a storage box. If you wear rechargeable hearing aids, you should place the hearing aids in a rechargeable device for storage and to recharge them for the following day. Remove Your Hearing Aids when You’re Near or Go into a Body of Water. Hearing aids are water resistant but not waterproof. The devices should work fine if you experience perspiration or briefly get caught in the rain. If you go swimming or shower/bathe, the devices should be removed and placed in a dry space. Hearing aids are becoming more intricate, with novel features and ways to adjust them in any circumstance or environment. It’s important to understand that even with these advancements, proper care and maintenance will always be crucial to prevent repairs and replacements. If you need professional cleaning or repairs done to your hearing aids, please contact us at Pure Sound Hearing for an appointment. |
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