Cerumen has many uses in the ear canal including maintaining a consistent level of humidity, preventing dust and other objects from going deeper, and also helping prevent bugs from going into the ear canal. It is also possible to damage the delicate canal walls when attempting to scrape or wash the cerumen out. It is best to have your audiologist or a physician remove the cerumen if it does not come out naturally. The middle ear is an air-filled space that connects the outer ear canal to the inner ear. The tympanic membrane is a cone shaped layer of tissue at the end of the ear canal.
Sounds travel down the ear canal and strike the tympanic membrane causing it to vibrate.
These vibrations are then transferred to the chain of bones in the middle ear. The middle ear bones are the smallest bones in the human body and are very delicate. Muscles and ligaments hold this fragile chain of bones in place and allow them to vibrate back and forth with sounds. The sound vibrations cause the Stapes to move back and forth. This motion is thus transferred to the inner ear.