Ear Care Tips

Ear Care

The ears are the most visible part of the human hearing system. Taking care of your ears is important in many ways.

Cleaning is one step to help maintain ear care and hygiene. Some earwax is completely normal and good to have in your ear canals. Earwax color can range from a light yellow to dark brown color. Earwax acts as a natural cleanser and moves from the inside of your ear canal to the outer part of your ear – picking up dead skin cells, dirt, and even hair.

However, ear problems can occur that can be painful and bothersome, which can affect either one part or multiple parts of the ear. Sometimes, medications can solve the problem and other times, medicine isn’t the answer.

Ear care also includes taking steps to avoid unnecessary noise and watching for signs of possible hearing loss.

No matter the problem, our ENT providers can help and are extensively trained in evaluating, treating, and preventing medical problems related to the ear, nose, and throat.

Cleaning Your Ears

Clean the outside of your ear with a washcloth. After showering or bathing, dry your ear as much as possible. You should never put anything inside your ear canal – including cotton swabs. Not only can using cotton swabs damage your eardrum, but it can lead to wax impaction. Signs of earwax impaction include feeling of fullness in the ear, reduced or muffled hearing, and/or an earache. 

Using solutions to soften ear wax and help clean your ear. 

To help soften wax in your ear canal, you can use solutions such as baby oil, mineral oil, or olive oil. Take a bulb syringe and apply 5 drops of oil into each ear canal once a week to prevent wax build-up in the ears. This helps treat dry, itch ear canal skin, and loosen ear wax.

Causes of Ear Pain

Ear pain is not always caused by your ear.  In fact, other conditions can cause significant ear pain.

Dental Issues

Many dental issues - cavities, gum disease, tooth infection, etc. can lead to pain in the ears. Though there may be nothing wrong with your ear, there are nerves (that supply sensation and movement) that are involved with both the mouth/jaw and ear that can make your dental pain cause ear pain.

Protecting Your Ears

• Don’t insert small objects into your ears since it can cause wax impaction or injury to your eardrum.
• Limit your exposure to loud noises. Wear protective headgear or earplugs when noise gets too loud.
• Take periodic breaks from using your headphones and keep the volume low enough that no one else can hear your music.
• Dry out your ears after swimming to prevent swimmer’s ear. Use a cloth to wipe outside of the ear and tilt your head to remove any additional water.
• Pay attention to any hearing changes that occur (i.e., balance issues, ringing in your ears), especially with the use of certain medications. Call your doctor or our ENT should this occur.

Neck/Cervical Spine Conditions

If you have neck pain or have trouble with arthritis related to your neck, this can also lead to pain in the ears. If your neck is sore or you experience headaches and/or burning of your neck as well as ear pain, this may all be related. This may be associated with an intense pain or pressure of the neck, ear and on the same side of your face. 

Ear Infections

Outer ear infections occur in the outer ear or ear canal and can start with redness, itching and then sometimes pain.

• The skin inside the ear canal swells and the ear becomes tender.
• As the swelling in the ear canal increases, the pain may increase.
• Treatment may involve a thorough and gentle cleaning of the ears and may be followed by medication.

Middle ear infections occur in the air space between the eardrum and the inner ear.

• They are common in children but also occur in adults.
• Infections usually start as a rapid onset of ear pain with muffled hearing.
• The pain can accelerate over just a few hours, and in some cases, the pressure may cause the eardrum to rupture with a sudden discharge of mucous, pus or blood.
• Medications may be prescribed.

Inner ear infections are usually not infections at all.

• Most conditions diagnosed as inner ear infections are inflammations or irritations of the balance centers located in the inner ear.
• These episodes of inflammation can start with a very abrupt onset of severe room-spinning and can be sometimes accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
• Antibiotics are usually not necessary for these episodes, since very few are actually caused by bacteria.

Ear tubes may be one treatment option for persistent ear infections. Learn more about ear tubes.