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Dr. Chrysoula I. Liakou MD, PhD
- Treated online: Yes, usually. Video assessment, with a prescription when appropriate.
- Earache is a symptom, not a diagnosis: ear infections, jaw joint problems, earwax, dental disease and pain referred from the throat all cause it, and each is treated differently.
- Regular paracetamol or ibuprofen, taken on schedule rather than at crisis point, is the first treatment for almost every earache.
- One-sided earache lasting more than about four weeks with a normal-feeling ear always needs an in-person head and neck examination.
- If earache comes with a stiff neck, rash, confusion, a seizure, or a child who is floppy or hard to wake, call 112 immediately.
Get in-person care the same day for earache with swelling or redness behind the ear, new facial weakness or a blistering rash around the ear, a stiff neck with fever, a child who is floppy or hard to wake, or anything lodged in the ear. A button battery in the ear is an emergency. Earache with sudden hearing loss also needs urgent assessment rather than a routine booking.
Can an online doctor help with earache?
Often, yes. Earache has many causes, and a structured video assessment can usually separate the common ones: middle ear infection, ear canal infection, jaw joint strain, earwax, and pain referred from the throat or teeth. Treatable causes are treated the same day; an earache that genuinely needs the ear, teeth or throat examined in person is told so plainly.
This page is for ear pain when the cause is not yet clear. If you already know an infection is brewing, go straight to our ear infection page, which covers antibiotic criteria and children in detail, or to the swimmer’s ear page if the trouble started in the pool. Mobi Doctor, an online healthcare service with licensed doctors, is built for exactly this kind of sorting consultation: one call that turns "my ear hurts" into a named likely cause and a plan.
How an online consultation helps with earache
- A cause, not just a painkiller: the doctor works through the pattern (pain type, triggers, hearing, discharge, jaw and throat symptoms) until the earache has a likely name, because the name decides the treatment.
- The earache that is not the ear: a large share of ear pain is referred from somewhere else: the jaw joint, the teeth, or the throat. Video assessment is genuinely good at finding these, because they are diagnosed from the story, not the eardrum.
- Treatment that matches: pain relief plans, ear drops, jaw routines or antibiotics when criteria are met, prescribed only after the consultation and never on autopilot.
- A clear line on examination: some earaches need otoscopy, a dental check or a throat examination. You leave knowing which applies to you, where to go, and how urgently.
What the doctor checks in an online earache consultation
Ear pain is diagnosed mostly from the history, which is why a video consultation gets so far. The doctor will typically assess:
- The character of the pain: deep pressure and throbbing point to the middle ear; surface soreness that worsens when the ear is touched points to the canal; shooting pain with chewing points to the jaw or teeth.
- The tragus test, guided on camera: pressing the small flap in front of the ear canal, and gently pulling the outer ear, hurts with canal infections and not much else.[2]
- Context: a cold in the last week points to the middle ear; swimming, humidity or cotton buds point to the canal; a long flight or dive points to pressure injury.
- Jaw signals: clicking, morning stiffness, teeth grinding, stress, and pain that tracks with chewing rather than with swallowing.
- Throat and dental signals: sore throat, painful swallowing, toothache, recent dental work, or pain triggered by hot and cold food.
- Hearing and blockage: gradual muffling with little pain suggests earwax; sudden hearing loss alongside ear pain is treated as urgent.
- Discharge and fever: fluid from the ear, its smell and colour, and how unwell you are overall.
- Duration and pattern: earache that has persisted for weeks on one side, especially with normal hearing and a normal-feeling ear, is flagged for in-person examination rather than reassurance.
What causes earache besides an ear infection?
Roughly half of ear pain does not start in the ear. The jaw joint sits directly in front of the ear canal, the throat and teeth share nerve supply with the ear, and wax can block the canal painlessly until it suddenly does not. That is why an earache with a completely normal eardrum is common, and why the story matters more than a quick look.
Jaw joint and muscle pain
The temporomandibular joint is the most commonly missed cause of ear pain in adults. Clues: pain in front of the ear that spreads into it, clicking or grating when you open wide, jaw stiffness in the morning, and flares during stressful weeks or after dental work. Clenching and grinding, often in sleep, drive it. It settles for most people with jaw rest, a soft-food period, heat, simple pain relief and awareness of daytime clenching; persistent cases deserve a dentist’s assessment for a bite guard.
Referred pain from the throat and teeth
Tonsillitis, a severe sore throat or a wisdom tooth problem can all present as earache, because the same nerves serve both areas. Earache with painful swallowing and a normal ear is usually the throat talking; our sore throat page covers when that needs treatment in its own right. Dental causes give themselves away with pain on biting or with hot and cold food, and need a dentist rather than ear treatment.
Earwax and blocked ears
Impacted wax more often causes blockage, itching, muffled hearing and mild discomfort than severe pain. Softening drops (olive oil or sodium bicarbonate) over several days often clear it; when they do not, removal by irrigation or microsuction is an in-person procedure, and cotton buds only pack wax deeper.[4] Wax that keeps blocking hearing is covered further on our hearing loss page.
Pressure changes, flights and skin causes
Ear pain during or after flying or diving usually reflects pressure injury to the eardrum and middle ear: unpleasant, usually self-resolving, and worth assessment if pain or muffled hearing lasts beyond a few days. Skin problems matter too: a crop of blisters in or around the ear with burning pain suggests shingles, and if facial weakness joins it, that combination is an emergency needing same-day in-person care.
When does earache need an in-person examination?
An earache needs in-person examination when the diagnosis depends on seeing the eardrum or canal, when something must be physically removed, or when pain persists without explanation. Concretely: discharge that continues beyond a week, suspected foreign objects, wax that drops have not shifted, earache with sudden hearing loss, and any one-sided earache lasting more than about four weeks with a normal assessment.
That last one deserves emphasis. Persistent one-sided ear pain in an adult, with a normal ear on examination, is a recognised reason for a thorough head and neck assessment, particularly in smokers and heavy drinkers, because referred pain can occasionally be the first sign of something in the throat that needs finding early. It is rarely that, but "rarely" is not "never", and honest triage means saying so: that earache gets examined, not managed by video indefinitely.
Which earache treatment might the doctor recommend?
Treatment follows the cause. This is the decision framework our doctors use, aligned with the cited guidance:[1][3]
Swipe sideways to compare →
| Presentation | Likely first step | Suitable for online care? | When referral or in-person care is needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deep ear pain during or after a cold, muffled hearing, often fever | Likely middle ear infection: regular pain relief; antibiotics only when guideline criteria are met | Usually yes | Red-flag signs, or not improving after 2–3 days |
| Sore canal after swimming or earbuds, itch, pain when the ear is pulled | Likely ear canal infection: antibiotic or antiseptic drops plus keep-dry care | Usually yes | Spreading redness or swelling, severe pain, diabetes or immunosuppression |
| Pain in front of the ear, worse with chewing, jaw click or grinding, normal hearing | Likely jaw joint strain: jaw rest, soft food, heat, simple pain relief, clench awareness | Usually yes | Jaw locking, persistent or worsening symptoms: dental or specialist review |
| Earache with sore throat and painful swallowing, ear itself normal | Referred pain: treat the throat cause; the ear needs nothing directly | Usually yes | One-sided throat pain with difficulty swallowing, drooling or trismus: urgent in-person care |
| One-sided earache for over 4 weeks with a normal ear, especially in smokers | Structured in-person head and neck examination | Assessment and referral, not ongoing management | Always: persistent unexplained one-sided pain must be examined |
Availability of individual medicines and who may prescribe them vary by country; your doctor confirms what applies where you are.
Not sure which row is your earache? A doctor can tell you in one consultation.
See available times →Treatment options for earache and ear pain
What you can do yourself
Regular paracetamol or ibuprofen, taken on schedule rather than in crisis, is the first treatment for almost every earache while the cause declares itself.[1][5] A warm compress against the ear or jaw soothes; chewing gum or hard foods are worth pausing if the jaw is the suspect; swallowing and yawning ease pressure after flights. Keep everything out of the ear canal: cotton buds, fingers, hairpins and "ear candles" all make things worse, and oil drops are for softening wax, not for treating an infected, painful ear.
Prescription treatment
A prescription is never issued without a consultation, and for earache it always targets the cause found in the assessment: antibiotics for middle ear infections only when guideline criteria are met, because most clear within about three days without them;[3][5] antibiotic or antiseptic ear drops for canal infections;[2] targeted treatment for throat causes; and antiviral treatment started promptly when shingles is suspected. Antibiotics are never a treatment for jaw joint pain, referred dental pain or wax, which is precisely why the sorting matters. Prescribing rules vary by country, and your doctor confirms what applies to you.
Earache in children
Children get earache more than anyone, and most of it is the middle ear infection that follows every second nursery cold. The same principles apply, compressed: treat pain properly with weight-dosed paracetamol or ibuprofen, judge the child rather than the thermometer, and re-assess if things are not improving after two to three days.[3] Two child-specific cautions: a child too young to say "my ear hurts" may just pull the ear, cry at night and refuse feeds, and a child with anything pushed into the ear needs it removed in person, never at home with tweezers. The full childhood detail, including antibiotic criteria and glue ear, lives on the ear infection page.
When we treat earache online, and when we refer you
We treat online: earache with a clear likely cause that suits remote treatment: middle ear infections against guideline criteria, canal infections needing drops, jaw joint strain needing a structured routine, referred throat pain needing throat treatment, and wax needing softening drops before any removal.
We refer or redirect you: suspected foreign objects and batteries, immediately; discharge or suspected perforation that needs the eardrum seen; wax needing physical removal; dental causes, to a dentist; shingles with facial weakness, urgently; earache with sudden hearing loss, urgently; and persistent unexplained one-sided earache, to a proper head and neck examination. The consultation ends with a named next step either way.
When to get in-person care
Seek urgent in-person care for earache with swelling or redness behind the ear, a protruding ear, a blistering rash around the ear, new facial weakness, or a button battery or other object in the ear. If earache comes with a stiff neck, rash, confusion, a seizure, or a child who is floppy or hard to wake, call 112 immediately.
Treating earache at home: what helps and what does not
Many earaches settle within a few days with home care: regular simple pain relief, a warm compress held against the ear, and staying upright as much as comfortable. Nothing should be poked into the ear, including cotton buds, which reliably make things worse.
What home care cannot do: you cannot examine your own eardrum. Pain that worsens beyond two or three days, discharge, muffled hearing, dizziness, or earache with a high fever needs someone who can look, judge and treat. Recurrent earaches in an adult also deserve investigation rather than a rolling supply of painkillers.
The strongest at-home treatment is still a doctor. A video consultation brings one to your sofa, usually within about 15 minutes: an honest assessment, and a prescription to a local pharmacy when treatment is right. Book a video consultation: the exact price is shown before you pay.
How Mobi Doctor works
- Book a time that suits you: open daily 7am–11pm. Most patients speak to a doctor within about 15 minutes of their booked time. no subscription, exact price up front.
- Speak to a licensed doctor about earache and ear pain: a private video call: you describe what you feel, the doctor asks what matters, and you agree the right plan together.
- Leave with your plan: everything agreed before you hang up: any prescription reaches a pharmacy near you in most EU countries, or a full refund.
No sign-up needed
Tick what you feel to see every condition page that mentions it. It finds the right page, not a diagnosis: a doctor gives you that on a video call.
Similar symptoms, different condition? Ear Infection can start the same way. Compare them, or find your symptom in the symptom navigator.
Frequently asked questions about earache and ear pain
Can an online doctor prescribe treatment for earache in Europe?
Yes, after a consultation. A prescription is never issued without one: the doctor first works out the likely cause of the ear pain by video, then prescribes what fits it, whether that is antibiotics meeting guideline criteria, ear drops, or treatment for a throat cause. Prescriptions can be sent to a pharmacy near you in most EU countries, and your doctor confirms what applies in your country.
How much does an earache consultation cost?
The exact price of a video consultation is shown before payment, and there is no subscription. If the doctor can’t treat you online, you get a full refund and clear directions to the right care.
How quickly can I speak to a doctor about ear pain?
Appointments are available daily from 7am to 11pm, often within about 15 minutes. Earache tends to peak at night, so a same-day consultation with a proper pain plan is usually what rescues the evening.
Why does my ear hurt if there is no infection?
Because much ear pain is referred from nearby structures. The jaw joint sits directly in front of the ear canal, and the throat and teeth share nerve supply with the ear, so jaw strain, dental problems and sore throats regularly present as earache with a completely normal eardrum. The pattern of triggers, chewing, swallowing, hot and cold food, usually identifies the real source.
Can earache come from my jaw or teeth?
Yes, very commonly. Jaw joint pain typically sits in front of the ear, worsens with chewing, and comes with clicking or morning stiffness, often driven by clenching and grinding. Dental causes hurt on biting or with hot and cold food. Both cause genuine earache, neither improves with ear treatment, and the jaw kind usually settles with rest, soft food, heat and clench awareness.
My child keeps getting earache. What should I do?
Frequent earache in a child is usually recurrent middle ear infection, which is common and mostly outgrown. Treat each episode with proper weight-dosed pain relief, use antibiotics only when criteria are met, and keep count: frequent episodes, or persistent muffled hearing between them, are the trigger for a hearing check and an ear, nose and throat opinion.
When is earache serious?
Rarely, but the serious versions are distinctive: swelling or redness behind the ear, an ear starting to stick out, facial drooping, a blistering rash around the ear, earache with a stiff neck and fever, or earache with sudden hearing loss. Any of these needs urgent in-person care. Persistent one-sided earache lasting weeks with a normal ear also always deserves a face-to-face examination.
- Otitis media - acute: Clinical Knowledge Summary, NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries, revised 2024.
- Otitis externa: Clinical Knowledge Summary, NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries, revised 2024.
- Otitis media (acute): antimicrobial prescribing (NG91), NICE, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2018 (updated 2022).
- Earwax: Clinical Knowledge Summary, NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries, revised 2024.
- Earache: symptoms, causes and treatments, HSE, Health Service Executive (Ireland), accessed August 2026.
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for a medical consultation. Guideline links are provided for transparency; treatment decisions are made with your doctor.
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