Ideally, no. Your ear canals shouldn’t need cleaning. But if too much earwax builds up and starts to cause symptoms or it keeps your doctor from doing a proper ear exam, you might have something called cerumen impaction. This means earwax has completely filled your ear canal, and it can happen in one or both ears.

If you wear hearing aids, have complications after ear surgery, or use cotton buds or other objects in the ear, your ear wax can build up. The symptoms of cerumen impaction are: Pain or a feeling of fullness in your ear , Feeling like your ear is plugged , Partial loss of hearing, which worsens over time, Ringing in your ear, known as tinnitus, Itching, discharge, or a smell coming from your ear, CoughingThough rare, this kind of earwax buildup can happen. If you experience any of the symptoms listed above, call your doctor. They can examine your ears, figure out the cause, and recommend treatment for earwax removal.Your doctor can look into your ear canal with a special device and remove any earwax with small instruments, suction, or irrigation. Earwax Removal – Experts generally advise against removing earwax yourself. If your ears feel blocked, add drops of water with a cotton ball into it with your head tilted. Let it sit for a minute, then tilt your head back to relieve the blockage.But it’s best to see an ear, nose, and throat doctor for earwax removal. They may recommend treatments, including: