Teeth, buttons and mobile phone keys... the random things found in our ears Ear doctor Simon Gane has also found bugs, cloves of garlic and pebbles He removes enough ear wax every year to fill a bath tub Says some patients try to remove ear wax with paperclips and hair grips As the old saying goes, you shouldn't put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear. But a leading doctor has revealed a catalogue of weird and wonderful items removed from people's ear canals. As well as pebbles, hearing aid parts, and buttons from mobile phones, other items have included a clove of garlic - because the patient suffering from earache had read that garlic has antibiotic properties. Then there was the tooth, because the little girl whose ear it was recovered from 'wanted to keep it somewhere safe for the tooth fairy'. Pebbles, buttons from mobile phones and even garlic cloves are amongst the catalogue of weird and wonderful items removed from people's ear canals by one doctor The inventory of items was disclosed by experts from the Clear Ear Clinic, a London-based clinic dedicated to removing ear wax. 'Although the vast majority of our patients simply have a build-up of wax which can be quickly removed, other more unusual things can sometimes be found lurking,' said Dr Simon Gane, one of the clinic's founders. Dr Gane and his team remove more than 100 litres of ear wax annually - enough to fill a bath tub. Ear wax is a mixture of sebum, sweat and dried skin. The skin inside the ear canal is the only part of the body which grows horizontally towards the outer ear, acting as a natural escalator to clean itself. Most people naturally have some levels of ear wax and don't notice any problems even if the canal is 95 per cent full. But if it exceeds this volume, it can cause itching, ear ache or mild deafness - which is when people try to remove it themselves. 'One of the biggest mistakes people is to try and remove wax with ear buds,' said Dr Gane. Patients have also admitted to us using hair grips, hair clips, paper clips, pens and pen tips, which is very dangerous 'One of the biggest mistakes people make is to try and remove wax with ear buds,' said Dr Gane. This simply compacts the wax further into the ear canal, especially after a bath or shower when it will be sticky. 'Patients have also admitted to us using hair grips, hair clips, paper clips, pens and pen tips,' said Dr Gane. He added: 'We can often tell what's been used to clean ears as it leaves tell-tale indentations on the inside of the ear canal, or even abrasions and little cuts. People take their ears for granted. But they are very sensitive organs, and however much you're tempted, you should not stick things right inside them. 'This can lead to ear infections or worse, perforated ear drums,' said Dr Gane. He advises using the corner of a warm, damp towel, which can reach the outer area of the ear canal where most of the wax is, or seeing a specialist. Most people naturally have some levels of ear wax and don¿t notice any problems even if the canal is 95 per cent full One option is to have the ear wax syringed or alternatively, have the wax removed using microsuction. Unlike ear syringing, the microscope allows them to peer right inside the ear, meaning they can spot what else might be causing a blockage. 'Compared to the traditional "blind" forms of wax removal - such as ear drops or "syringing" - microsuction allows clinicians to see where they are cleaning, making it safer, quicker and more effective,' said Dr Gane. He uses binocular operating microscopes - originally designed for ear surgery - and gentle suction, to remove ear wax from more than 5,000 patients every year. As it does not use water to flush the wax out, the procedure is also better tolerated, and does not require pre-treatment with ear drops.