When custom earplugs hurt, what can you do?

Thijs Worm4 October 2026Updated 23 October 20266 min read

A custom earplug being finished by hand in the lab

New custom earplugs take some getting used to, but they should not hurt. If your custom earplugs are painful, take them out and check that they are in the right ear and fully in place. If a custom earplug keeps pressing on the same spot, have the hearing care professional check and adjust the fit. If you have pain, itching or a burning feeling in your ear canal, stop wearing them and see your GP (huisarts) if the symptoms continue.

Audibling makes custom hearing protection. We are not a healthcare provider and we do not make diagnoses.

If you have new custom earplugs made, the ear impressions at a partner hearing centre are included in the price and you pay at the hearing centre.

Getting used to them or pain, what is the difference?

A custom earplug is made from an impression of your ear. It rests in the hollow of your outer ear and extends into the start of your ear canal. You can feel that, especially at first. In an information sheet on hearing protection, Ambulancezorg Nederland, the Dutch ambulance care association, writes that it takes a few days to get used to wearing custom earplugs.

A full feeling in your ear is part of getting used to them. Your own voice also sounds different, more hollow and lower, because your ear canal is closed off. That is called the occlusion effect, and it does not mean the fit is wrong. Read more in the occlusion effect, why your own voice sounds strange with earplugs.

Pain is something else. Look out for these signs.

You feel pressure or a stabbing feeling in one fixed spot, for example at the top of your outer ear or deeper in your ear canal.
The feeling gets worse the longer you wear the custom earplug.
After taking them out, you see a red spot or your ear stays sensitive.
Your ear itches or burns.

If you notice any of these things, do not carry on in the hope that it will pass. Starkey, a manufacturer of custom earplugs with filters, writes in its manual that you should contact your hearing care professional if a custom earplug is too loose or too tight.

Build up wearing time gradually

Wear your new earplugs for shorter periods in the first few days, for example an hour at a time, and make that a little longer each day. That way you quickly notice whether it is just a matter of getting used to them or whether something keeps pressing. If you need them for a concert or a long working day, wear them a few times beforehand.

Custom earplugs painful? Check these four things first

Often the problem is in how they are inserted, not in the custom earplug itself.

1. Is it in the right ear?

Your left and right custom earplugs each have their own shape. In the wrong ear, an earplug presses on places where it does not belong. A common convention is red for right and blue for left. If your earplugs are the same colour, read which colour earplug goes in which ear to learn how to tell them apart.

2. Is it fully in place?

A custom earplug fits only one way. The canal part goes into your ear canal and the wide part sits in the hollow of your outer ear. A patient leaflet from the James Paget University Hospital in England warns that an earmould that does not sit fully in the folds of the ear will rub and make your ear sore. How to insert a custom earplug step by step is explained in how to insert and remove custom earplugs in 4 steps.

3. Are you pushing it too far?

Starkey advises pressing the custom earplug only gently with your fingertip after twisting it in. If it only hurts when you push further, take it out and calmly insert it again.

4. Is it cold or stiff?

According to the Starkey manual, a silicone custom earplug can become a little stiffer in the cold. In that case, hold it in your hands for two to three minutes first, so it reaches body temperature. It will then go in more easily. Keep this in mind if your earplugs have been in the car in winter.

Other things you are better off doing differently, such as cleaning with alcohol, are listed in common mistakes when using custom earplugs.

Have the hearing care professional adjust your custom earplugs

If you insert them correctly and they keep pressing, the fit is probably the cause. Custom earplugs are finished by hand in the lab and can still be adjusted afterwards. For earmoulds that cause discomfort, rub or itch, the audiology department of East Sussex Healthcare in England advises first checking that you have inserted them correctly. If that does not help, make an appointment to have them adjusted or remade.

Note where it presses and how long it takes before it starts.
Get in touch. If you had your ear impressions taken at a hearing centre, call that hearing centre. If you are looking for a partner hearing centre, see Find a hearing centre. If your ear impressions were taken at your workplace through your employer, or if you are not sure, contact us.
Take your custom earplugs with you to the appointment.
Do not adjust them yourself. Do not sand or file your custom earplugs. According to Starkey, cracks and damage reduce the protection.

A different material

At Audibling, you choose between hard acrylic and soft silicone. Hard acrylic is smooth and holds its shape. Silicone is supple and gives a little when you talk or chew. If hard custom earplugs are still uncomfortable after adjustment, ask the hearing care professional whether silicone would fit better. Also read acrylic or silicone custom earplugs, which suits you?

Pain after years of wear

Did things go well for a long time and do your custom earplugs pinch now? Starkey mentions a significant change in weight and wear and tear, among other things, as reasons why a new impression may be needed. Read how long do custom earplugs last?

When should you see your GP?

Pain can also come from your ear itself. Thuisarts.nl, the patient website of the Dutch College of General Practitioners (Nederlands Huisartsen Genootschap), writes that the skin of your ear canal can become moist and warm because of things in your ear, such as a hearing aid or earplugs. Your ear canal can then become inflamed. You notice this through pain, itching or a burning feeling. Sometimes you hear less well, your ear hurts when you pull on it gently or fluid comes out.

If you have symptoms like these, do not wear your custom earplugs and ask your GP when you can use them again. Thuisarts advises keeping your ear clean and dry and not poking around in it.

Call straight away if you have a temperature of 38 °C or higher and feel ill, or if your outer ear is painful, red or swollen.
Call during the day if your symptoms do not ease after a few days.

Does sound itself hurt, or do you hear a beep or hiss in your ear? See your GP about that as well. See hyperacusis and tinnitus in our glossary.

Frequently asked questions

Is it normal for new custom earplugs to press?

A full feeling in your ear is normal in the first few days. Pain or pressure on one fixed spot is not. In that case, first check that you have inserted them correctly, and otherwise have them adjusted.