Can Tinnitus be caused by excessive earwax?

08 February 2021

Earwax is necessary and essential to keep our ears clean and free from infection, but excessive earwax can cause its own problems. At times, if excessive earwax is left untreated it can lead to a build-up that can affect our hearing.

Some people with excessive earwax notice the ringing or rushing noises that are usually associated with tinnitus.

Excess ear wax build-up can result in the ringing sound known as tinnitus, but what exactly causes this symptom?

Rather than excessive earwax affecting the sound travelling through the ear canal and creating tinnitus sounds, it’s actually the pressure from the impacted wax that excites nerve cells in your middle and inner ear. Your brain reads the signals from these excited nerves as noise, and this is what causes tinnitus.

A build-up of earwax can result in multiple tinnitus symptoms, including ringing in your ears. This, alongside feelings of fullness in the ear, discomfort or even dizziness, are all signs that you may have impacted earwax that requires treatment.

If you feel that your hearing may be affected, you can make an appointment with us for a hearing test to discover is there an underlining hearing issue.

If your tinnitus has been caused by the compacted earwax, then removing the issue should resolve the problem. However, tinnitus is a common problem and can be caused by several things such as; hearing loss, medical conditions, medications and even stress or anxiety.

It is important to not try to remove impacted wax yourself, this can cause damage to the inside of your ear. This can lead to further impaction and potential damage to the eardrum.

Will tinnitus worsen after removing earwax?

A small number of people can find a temporary increase in their tinnitus after successful treatment. This is simply due to more sound travelling through the ear canal once the blockage has been removed, but the increased sensitivity and tinnitus should resolve by itself relatively quickly.

What should I do if I have excessive earwax?

If you think you have excessive earwax it is best to seek professional advice especially if you notice any changes to your ears, whether that’s excess earwax or any other hearing-related issues.

If you think you have excessive earwax, or if your earwax is causing you problems, you can book an appointment with our ear wax removal specialists Louise or Deepal – both trained in wax removal by micro-suction. You can find out more about our service and even book your appointment directly online.

You can call your local clinic in Nottingham or Oxfordshire to discuss any concerns you may have about your hearing or earwax.