What the heck is inside that ear?

The process of treating hearing loss can require many customized steps as we determine your needs, lifestyle, degree of hearing loss, budget and other factors. However, one step remains the same for everyone-- looking in your ears!

By looking inside your ears, we can determine if you have too much ear wax buildup, perforated or scarred ear drums, excessive dryness, and more.

The procedure that audiologists perform when examining the structures of your ears is called otoscopy. During otoscopy, we check both inside and outside the ears for abnormalities. The tool that we use to see inside is called an otoscope. An otoscope is a flashlight tool with a magnifying glass for up close viewing of the inner-ear canal, eardrum and beyond.

It’s important to have an audiologist do this work. If you think you might be experiencing hearing loss, or know someone who is, call us to make an appointment. Hearing loss could simply be the result of wax buildup, which we can remove professionally using multiple techniques.

As your mother always said, never put anything in your ear smaller than your elbow!

Keep scrolling to learn more from Dr. Chelsea Bega’s article, “What is Otoscopy?”

Now what is otoscopy, and why is it important? Below is a brief description of otoscopy, some common things we look for during this procedure, and recommendations to keep your ears safe and healthy!

Otoscopy is a clinical procedure used to examine structures of the outer ear, particularly the visible ear (pinnae), inside of the ear canal, the eardrum, and the space behind the eardrum. An otoscope-a medical grade flashlight for ears-is used to visualize these structures up closely. Otoscopy plays a crucial role in identifying several outer and middle ear conditions that can affect one’s hearing and health

Some of the common things we look for during otoscopy are:

1. Outer ear skin abnormalities.

When completing an otoscopy, the first thing an audiologist will do is check the skin on your outer ear for any lesions or abnormalities. As we know, early identification of malignant moles and lesions are crucial in the prevention and/or early treatment of skin cancer. One thing we can do to ensure the skin on our ears stays safe and healthy is to use sunscreen when hiking, outdoors or basking in the sun!

When cerumen is impacted, it can block sound from reaching the eardrum, thus causing a conductive hearing loss.

At Hearing HealthCare Centers, our audiologists are expertly trained to remove cerumen quickly and painlessly through irrigation and other manual methods.

We also have video equipment that allows you to see what the inside of your ears look like! If you or a loved one would like to get their ears checked for wax or other concerning ear issues, schedule a free consultation with one of our audiologists today!

Meet Pam! She has been our Patient Care Coordinator in Englewood since 2017!

Pam Pearce was born and raised in SE Denver. After she graduated from high school, she went to school to be a certified dental assistant. She worked in the dental field for several years. While there she learned how nice it is to get to know and help the patients that come to your office.

After she married, she moved to Englewood where she and her husband raised their two children. She did everything from babysitting to cleaning houses so she could spend as much time with her children as possible.

In her free time, she really enjoys sitting in the back yard by her pond or taking long walks in the neighborhood. She is also an avid gardener and loves to read. She especially loves sewing for her 3 granddaughters.