Shop 7/104 Northbourne Ave
Braddon ACT 2612
Braddon ACT 2612
Weekdays 9 to 5, Saturday 10 to 2.
Microsuction
Fifteen minutes, no water, and you can usually hear the difference walking out.
Wax removal at Candid Hearing is done by microsuction: gentle suction under magnification, with Pooja able to see the canal the whole time. Nothing is flushed in, nothing is poked at blindly, and because an audiologist is doing it, anything that turns out not to be wax gets spotted on the spot.
15 min
Typical appointment for both ears
No water
Nothing is flushed into the canal
Under view
The canal stays in sight under magnification throughout
Same visit
If it turns out not to be wax, you find out immediately
Cerumen, to give it its proper name, is supposed to be there. It traps dust, keeps the canal skin from drying out, and is mildly antibacterial. The canal migrates it outward on its own, which is why most people go their whole lives without thinking about it.
It becomes a problem when it stops moving and builds up against the eardrum. That happens more often if you are older, because wax gets drier with age, if you have narrow or hairy canals, if you wear hearing aids or earbuds, and, most of all, if you use cotton buds. A cotton bud removes the small amount near the opening and compacts everything behind it into a plug.
Do not put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear. Cotton buds, hair pins and ear candles cause more impactions, perforations and canal injuries than wax ever does on its own.
The one that catches people out is the first: sudden muffled hearing in one ear is far more likely to be wax than hearing loss. Age-related loss is gradual and usually symmetrical.
Syringing was standard in general practice for decades and many clinics have moved away from it. Water is pushed into the canal under pressure to flush the wax out. It often works. The difficulties are that the clinician cannot see what is happening, the pressure can push wax harder against the eardrum, and it is not appropriate if the eardrum is perforated, if you have grommets, or if you have had ear surgery.
Microsuction uses a fine suction tube and magnification. The canal is visible the entire time, nothing wet is introduced, and the amount removed is controlled precisely. It is the method used in ENT clinics.
If you can, put a few drops of olive oil or a pharmacy wax softener in the affected ear twice a day for three or four days beforehand. Softened wax comes away faster and more comfortably. If you have not done that, still come. Pooja will tell you if a second visit after softening would be easier on you.
Tell her before she starts if you have had a perforation, grommets, ear surgery, a discharging ear, or if the ear is currently painful. Any of those change the approach.
Plenty of places remove wax. The difference here is what happens when the wax comes out and your hearing does not come back. Pooja can look at the eardrum, see whether there is fluid or a perforation, and, if it is warranted, move straight into a hearing assessment rather than sending you off to book somewhere else and wait another month.
Common questions
No, though it is loud. The suction sits close to your eardrum so it sounds like a vacuum cleaner in your head for a few seconds at a time. Most people find it strange rather than uncomfortable. Tell Pooja if anything is sore and she will stop.
Usually about fifteen minutes for both ears. Very hard, impacted wax can take longer, or occasionally need a second visit after a few days of softening drops.
It helps but it is not essential. A few drops of olive oil or a pharmacy wax softener, twice a day for three or four days before your appointment, makes the job quicker and more comfortable. If you did not, come anyway.
Syringing flushes the canal with water, which means you cannot see what you are doing, the water can push wax further in, and there is a risk if the eardrum is perforated. Microsuction is done under magnification with the canal in view the whole time, and nothing wet goes in.
Usually yes, and this is exactly the situation where microsuction is safer than syringing, because no fluid is introduced. Tell Pooja your history before she starts.
If wax was the cause, yes, and often dramatically so within the appointment. If it does not, that is useful information too, because it means something else is going on and a hearing test is the next step.
Only when you need it. Ears are largely self-cleaning and most people never need help. If you produce a lot of wax, wear hearing aids or use earplugs regularly, once or twice a year is common.
Also at Candid Hearing
It is a fifteen-minute appointment and it either fixes the problem or tells you the problem is something else.
