What to do when your child has earwax buildup
Sonya Henderson?s son, Noah, was three-and-a-half years old when the Toronto mother noticed he was having hearing troubles. Noah would ask her to turn up the TV, even though his sister, who was sitting next to him, could hear it fine. When he started pronouncing new words incorrectly, Henderson took him to the doctor, who checked Noah?s ear and said that the eardrum was completely blocked with wax.
Earwax, which is made of secretions from glands in our ear canals, sweat, sebum and skin that has been shed, plays an important role in keeping our ears healthy, says Frederick Kozak, a Vancouver paediatric otolaryngologist (ears and throat doctor). ?Wax fights infection, moistens and lubricates the ear canal, and traps little bits of dirt and dust,? he explains. Under normal circumstances, maintenance is simple: Ignore it. Wax naturally works its way out of the ear canal, bringing those trapped particles with it. Many parents make the mistake of seeing a bit of wax in the ear and cleaning it with a cotton swab or hairpin, says Kozak, but that?s likely just going to push the wax further inward?and risk injury. At most, use a cloth to wipe away bits of wax that have worked their way out. Problems can arise if wax gets impacted, or your child happens to produce a lot of it. Wax covering the eardrum can cause hearing to be muffled or fuzzy and can also block a doctor?s view of the eardrum to complicate identifying an ear infection.
While the rule of thumb is not to clear your child...
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