(HealthDay News) -- Inside your ear, there are glands that produce a waxy oil called cerumen. This helps protect your ear from dust, germs and other foreign substances, but too much wax buildup can trigger hearing loss.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine offers these warning signs of wax buildup in the ear:

• Pain in the ear.
• Hearing loss that tends to worsen over time.
• Ringing in the ear.
• A feeling that the ear is plugged or clogged.
• A feeling of fullness or pressure inside the ear.

Contact your doctor if you have any of these symptoms. A blockage caused by ear wax generally is easy to treat, and full hearing usually is restored once the blockage is removed.