Problem with Hard Wax in Ears

Updated on April 01, 2008
C.M. asks from Chico, CA
6 answers

My 3 yo daughter's ears do not release and drain the wax. Every time we visit the doctor, she mentions the hard wax build up down near her eardrum and occasionally she uses a plastic pick tool to dig it out. The doctor cautioned me not to try doing this at home (I wouldn't dare for fear of injuring her eardrums) and suggested I use OTC eardrops to get the wax to come out. I have used the eardrops with no success yet and my daughter fights lying still for 4 minutes (2 min. each ear) so I can put them in. Does anyone know of another way to get that hard wax buildup out of the ear? I am beginning to think that it is affecting her hearing to have the eardrum covered by the hard wax.

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More Answers

C.C.

answers from Fresno on

We have had this exact issue with our oldest daughter (who is now 5.5). We went the route of the pediatrician picking out the wax, and one time they flushed her ears with warm water and it made her ears bleed (she was screaming, it was awful, and that was the last time we visited that pediatrician).

We found a more old-school pediatrician after that who gave us some great advice. Simply put mineral oil in your child's ears for a minute or two, maybe every other week (or as often as you need to). This will soften up the wax and it will flow right out. No pain, no expensive drops that don't work, no trips to the doctor. It has worked really well for us so far. I hope it works for you too!

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W.M.

answers from Sacramento on

C.,
I have this problem as an adult and early teen years.
It tends to build up and I feel like the wax won't come out
but it eventually does. Part of the problem is that when you put the drops into the ears, you can't hear anything.
I watch tv while I wait, but I prop my other ear so that I can hear what is being said. Maybe that is partially why she doen't like having it done. I also have used hydrogen peroxide to loosen the wax, it sound s like butterflies in your ear. Or try reading a book, or give her a picture book to look at on her own. Sort of like when my son had to sit thru his breathing treatment at age 13 months. I ended up buying him a firemen comstume so that he could wear the "mask" and sit still long enogh.
W.

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P.W.

answers from San Francisco on

hydrogen peroxide. Have her lie down, pour a little in one ear, keep her there as long as you can (4 mins is probably good), drain and do the other side. You can lie her in front of the tv so she has something to do while she's doing it. Be sure to rinse well with warm water afterward, so a bath or a shower afterward is probably best so her ears can be well rinsed. It may take a few times but it definitely works. I do it on my family members, including myself.

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K.F.

answers from Sacramento on

My daughter had this problem when she was younger. The only thing we found that worked was to take her to the doctor several times a year to have her ears flushed out. She seems to have outgrown this she is now 21 and no longer has problems.

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S.B.

answers from Sacramento on

the only ways I know of is the drops the scraping and getting it flushed with warm water.
the only one I reccomend you doing is the drops, it's hard to do esp at that age :(

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J.L.

answers from Fresno on

My son, who is now seven has had this same problem since he was little. The occasional visit to the pediatrician to scrape the gunk out is okay, but we use DEBROX (an OTC kit) that uses a snot sucker type thing to flush warm water into the ear. This has helped a lot! Try it and see. We've had wonderful results with it and no pain or medications.

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