Our Ear, Nose, Throat (ENT) services in Punggol, Singapore include earwax removal, removal of objects or foreign body from the ear, nose, throat, nasal endoscopy service, hearing loss and giddiness services.
Earwax removal
Not all earwax needs to be removed as mentioned in our other article, but when it causes pain, discomfort or other problems, it needs removal.
How do the doctors remove it?
We can wash it out using a ear syringe:
Ear syringing is performed using a small syringe and warm water. Since the tip of the syringe is fitted with a soft plastic tip, it might feel ticklish to your ears sometimes when it accidentally touches your ear, but don’t worry, it shouldn’t hurt.
Who should NOT undergo this procedure?
- Patients having an active ear infection or discharge.
- Patients who have a hole in the eardrum.
- Recent surgery in the ears.
- Known to have narrow ear canals. Or told by doctors to have ear canal “stenosis”.
- People who have a normal ear canal with no earwax or issues.
What to do if I cannot undergo ear syringing?
You might want to try ear suction or the doctor would advise for ear microsuction.
What to expect during the procedure?
You will likely feel a warm sensation and pressure in the ears. Some people may experience an urge to cough, have a very intense itch, or even feel a strange sensation in their stomachs (the ear nerves are connected to many places via the Vagus pathways). However, it should never be painful. Please tell the doctor if it is.
In addition, if the water is not at the right temperature, you can sometimes feel giddiness.
How to prepare for the procedure?
- Apply 5 drops of olive oil into the ear twice a day, followed by a tragal massage. A tragal massage is done by vigorously pushing the little soft bone in front of the opening of the ear.
- Apply the drops for at least a week before seeing us. It would make the process more likely to be successful and also faster.
What if it fails?
This may happen sometimes to about 20% of the patients for various reasons. We can try ear microsuction (read on), apply the olive oil again for another week and try again, or request for a referral to see an ENT specialist.
Why do we not use the big old metal ear syringe?
If you have been to some clinics, you would have seen this big metal ear syringe instead of the plastic ones we use. We do not use these.
These metal ear syringes generate a pressure that in our experience could be too high. Also there has been rare instances where the entire metal part “flies out” and cause a eardrum injury. (Yes the plastic that we use can also “fly out”, but admittedly it is smaller and much softer)
Ear suction
We use ear suction for certain types of earwax (soft, squishy) and also for the removal of objects.
What to expect during the procedure?
You will hear a loud sucking sound. If you cannot stand this sound, you might want to consider ear syringing instead. It should not be painful, so please tell us if it is. Some people might experience giddiness, you can try to close your eyes when that happens.
How to prepare for the procedure?
Again like above, olive oil will save you and me a lot of precious time. Staying still when we try to do the procedure helps quite a lot as well.
How to “maintain” after I have undergone this procedure?
After this procedure, you need to keep your ears dry for a week. Especially during bathing time. You will need to either:
- Put a earplug in the ear.
- Put a cup on the ear.
- Put a cotton ball with some olive oil in the ear.
You also have to refrain from digging them. If you experience any ear pain, you would have to come back.
Contrary to popular belief, the ears do not need long term maintenance, read this.
What if it fails?
If it happens, we might need to “stage the procedure”- take out the wax part by part and repeat the procedure another week. You might need to see an ENT specialist if all else fails. Sometimes the doctor might use other tools to remove the earwax without the need for syringing or suction if the wax is too hard.
Foreign bodies
Children love to put objects in their ears, nose and throat out of curiosity or for fun, unaware of how dangerous it can be. At Zenith, we have specialised equipment like the above and crocodile forceps to help remove these objects.
Using these tools, we have been successful in removing objects that were placed in children’s ears and this is our collection so far.
| Zenith Foreign Body Collection | |
|---|---|
| From the Nose | |
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| From the Ears | |
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| From the Throat | |
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Feel free to bring your child or yourself over to add to our collection.
Hearing problems
We can also see you for any problems related to the ear, e.g. ringing in the ears (tinnitus), ear pain, discharge and giddiness. If you need a hearing test, we generally would refer you for a free hearing test here. (We are not affiliated to them.)
Some problems related to the ear, nose and throat require further evaluation with a scope.
Although this is normally done at ENT specialist clinics, we can also do the same for you, except that we will need to refer you if you require surgery.
Common symptoms that are evaluated:
- Ear
- Ear pain
- Ringing in the ears
- Ear wax
- Blocked feeling in the ears
- Water/pus coming out from the ear
- Giddiness
- Unusual objects placed inside the ear
- Nose
- Blocked nose
- Running nose, sneezing
- Pain
- Nosebleed
- Nose cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer/carcinoma
- Unusual objects placed inside the nose
- Throat
- Feeling of phlegm in the throat
- Fish bone, or other things unusual objects stuck in the throat
- Frequent sore throat
- Hoarse voice
- Voice fatigue or tiredness
Charges
A consultation fee of $35 will be charged, even if you do not require cleaning.
| Procedure | Cost ($) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ear Syringing or Microsuction (1 ear) (<10minutes) | 25 |
| 2 | Ear Syringing or Microsuction (both ears) (<10 minutes) | 40 |
| 3 | Ear Syringing or Suction: Complicated (>10 minutes) | Depends |
| 4 | Ear Packing or Instrumentation | Depends |
| 5 | Ear Piercing (both sides) (Please bring your own GOLD jewelry) | 60 |