Earwax is something no person can escape. While some people produce more wax than others, everyone has at least some level of the buildup of this protective substance. If you wear a hearing aid device, it's important that you monitor the accumulation of wax in your ears to protect your device and preserve your hearing.
Hearing Loss and Earwax
If you're wearing a hearing aid device, you're doing so because you already have an issue with hearing loss. A buildup of wax can make the matter worse, even if you are wearing a hearing aid. Large amounts of tightly packed earwax can distort the way sound is able to travel throughout the canal.
As a result, the waves that your hearing aid device picks up might also be distorted as they travel through the ear. If your ears clogged up in the past with excessive wax, you should keep this factor in mind. If you're not sure about wax buildup, but you notice that you don't hear as clearly with your device as you did in the past, it's a good idea to take a closer look.
Hearing Aid Damage
Too much wax in your ears doesn't just impact your hearing, it can also have an adverse effect on the device itself. Earwax is somewhat of a traveling substance in that it finds any open crack or crevice to shove itself in. Unfortunately, the vents and receivers on the exterior of your hearing aid also fall into this category.
A buildup of wax inside these areas can damage the internal structure of the device and cause it to malfunction. In some instances, the earwax can even destroy the hearing aid, as the chemical elements of earwax, including acid, can also attack some of the metal components of the device and cause them to degrade. Keeping the earwax out of the hearing device is critical to its function.
Ear Cleaning
Yes, it is essential that you periodically clean wax from your ears. However, make sure you don't take the matter into your own hands. Shoving a cotton bud or other device in your ear is not a good idea as it will only push the wax further into your ear, and possibly harm your ear. It's a good idea to visit a healthcare provider to have the excess wax removed.
If you have questions about your earwax production, don't be afraid to ask questions. A hearing aid service such as County Hearing And Balance will be able to help you determine the measures you need to take to protect your hearing aid from excessive wax.
Share15 May 2019
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