Ear Wax Removal and Ear Cleaning in McAllen
Built-up ear wax can muffle your hearing and stop a hearing aid from working. Jordan removes it gently in the office with a small curette and suction.
How is ear wax removed at the clinic?
Mid Valley Hearing Technologies performs ear wax removal in McAllen using curettes and suction under video otoscopy. We do not use water irrigation or flushing. Removal is included in both care plans.
Wax is supposed to be there. It only becomes a problem when it impacts against the eardrum or blocks the canal, and then it causes muffled hearing, fullness, ringing, and in hearing aid wearers, an aid that whistles or goes silent.
There are two ways to get it out. Irrigation, flushing the canal with water, is common, but it can be a problem if you have a perforation or a fragile eardrum. Manual removal under direct vision, using a curette and suction, is slower, needs equipment and a steady hand, and is what we do here. We do not flush.
What does this service include?
- Done under video otoscopyWe see the canal on screen the entire time, and so can you if you want to watch.
- Curette and suction onlyInstrument removal and suction. No water, no syringing, no ear candles, which do not work and can burn you.
- Both ears in one visitNormally about 15 to 30 minutes depending on how impacted it is.
- Handled at our clinicJordan removes ear wax himself at our McAllen office, so you do not need a separate trip somewhere else.
- We know when to stopIf the canal is inflamed, the wax is against a perforated drum, or there is drainage, we stop and refer you to a physician. Pushing on would be the wrong call.
What happens during the visit?
A look first
Video otoscopy to see exactly what is in there, how deep, and what the eardrum looks like behind it.
Removal
Curette and suction under direct vision, one ear at a time. Tell us if anything is uncomfortable and we stop.
A second look
Back on the otoscope so you can see the canal clear, and so we can check the drum now that it is visible.
Hearing check if useful
If your hearing was muffled, this is a good time to check how it sounds now.
Do not do this at home
Cotton swabs pack wax deeper against the drum, and that is the mechanism behind a large share of the impactions we remove. Ear candling does not draw wax out; the residue in the candle is candle wax. Over-the-counter drops soften wax but do not remove it, and if there is a perforation they can cause real problems. If your ears feel blocked, get someone to look inside before you put anything in there.
Ear Wax Removal: questions we get asked
It should not. You may feel some pressure, and the suction is a little loud. If anything is painful, say so and we stop. Pain usually means something else is going on and needs a physician.
Irrigation pushes water past a blockage you cannot see behind. That can cause problems if you have a perforation, a tube or a thin eardrum. Jordan can see the ear canal the whole time.
Usually 15 to 30 minutes for both ears. Heavily impacted wax that has been building for years takes longer, and occasionally takes two visits with softening drops in between.
Sometimes completely, because impacted wax can account for a substantial temporary loss. Often it fixes part of it and reveals an underlying loss that was there all along. That is exactly why the hearing test comes after the wax is out, not before.
Hearing benefit networks generally cover devices and fittings. Wax removal is usually paid separately. Ear wax removal is included in both of our care plans.
Related services
Schedule your visit with Jordan
Call (956) 576-3593 or send a request and we will get back to you the same business day. Walk-ins are welcome Monday through Friday, 9 to 5.