Homemade Ear Plugs

By

kmaddox

I put silly putty in my daughters ears because she has tubes. The putty melted and drained into her ear canal. The ENT said to just leave it. Well 2 years later we ended up in childrens hospital having to have a 4 hour surgery to remove it. It entered into a hole in her eardrum and the eardrum closed up around it. It rested close to one of her hearing bones. Please, never put silly putty into your childs ear for any reason!

By

Dr. Curtis

DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT EVER DO THIS!!! We have had several children in our ENT office with Silly Putty stuck to eardrums. The putty melts and then hardens on the eardrum resulting in PERMANENT damage. I REPEAT, DO NOT DO THIS. In fact, this suggestion should be removed from this website.

By Helpful (Guest Post)

Well, I bought a pack of Silly Putty and it clearly stated "Not intended for use as earplugs."
It'll probably be too much of a risk, so I recommend you don't

By Molls (Guest Post)

I just read a long story on a blog about a woman who still has Silly Putty stuck in her ear from when she was 12. The hot sun melted it and caused a trip to the doctor, and the docs weren't able to extract all of it. My friend's doctor suggested Silly Putty, so I guess it's a common practice, but I'm going to stick w/ stuff marketed for use as earplugs...

By

SILLYPUTTY

Well then it's simple- just don't put it in all the way!

By Chrissy (Guest Post)

Plus, the Silly Putty can also get stuck in your hair, and the best way to get it out is to cut your hair.

By ear doc (Guest Post)

NEVER EVER use these "earplugs" on your kids. The chemicals used to make silly putty can cause an uncomfortable skin irritation inside the ear. This may result in inflammation and infection for some unlucky folks if the compound remains in contact with skin for too long - especially if any residue stays in the ear canal after removal.

By susie (Guest Post)

I was always taught that you don't stick anything in your ears. What if the putty goes in too far? Since putty will soften with the person's body heat, and there's no way to retrieve it, this could be a major problem--not to mention the cost of an ENT specialist. I think it might be better to delay swimming until you can get some ear plugs.