Tragus – The Ear Specialists
Your private ear and hearing clinic in Dartford, Kent
Expert hearing care for adults and children, from hearing tests and hearing aids to tinnitus support and earwax removal.
- BSHAA Registered
- RCCP Registered
- HCPC Registered
- ACHS Registered
Welcome to Tragus – The Ear Specialists
At Tragus – The Ear Specialists, we are proud to extend our expert services to include comprehensive assessments for children, enhancing our already robust offerings in treating hyperacusis, tinnitus, earwax blockages, and hearing loss.
As South East London and Kent’s premium ear clinic, our team of academic clinicians brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from their tenure at various top-tier clinics across the UK. Specializing in cutting-edge tinnitus therapy, hyperacusis therapy, and pediatric assessments, we offer tailored solutions for both children and adults seeking to improve their auditory health.
Keeping you connected for life
Our services
Ear Health Check
A comprehensive adult hearing assessment with clear explanations and personalised advice. A written report is available on request.
Earwax removal
Safe and gentle micro-suction earwax removal
Tinnitus assessment
Expert assessment with detailed report and therapy plan
Hearing aids
Contact us
Premium hearing aids fitted to your needs
Children's assessments
For children over three years old. Includes assessment, written report and earwax removal if required.
Custom earplugs
Professional custom-molded earplugs for musicians, swimmers & more
Tragus is a private ear and hearing clinic in Dartford, serving patients across Kent and South East London. Our experienced clinicians trained and worked in the NHS, providing professional ear wax removal by microsuction, comprehensive hearing tests, tinnitus treatment and expertly fitted hearing aids.
Unlike hearing aids programmed using software alone, every fitting is verified using measurements taken in your own ears. This helps ensure your hearing aids are working properly for your individual hearing loss.
Many of our patients come to us after facing long waiting times or being recommended products they did not need. Appointments are usually available within a few days for patients in Dartford, Bexley, Bexleyheath, Gravesend, Swanley, Greenhithe, Crayford and surrounding areas.
Ear wax removal by microsuction
Microsuction ear wax removal is the method hospital ENT departments use. We look into the ear canal under a microscope and lift the wax out with fine suction. No water, no syringing, nothing pushed further in. Most appointments take twenty to thirty minutes and you notice the difference before you stand up.
You don’t need days of drops beforehand, though softening the wax for two or three nights usually makes the appointment quicker and more comfortable. Microsuction is also the safer option if you have a perforated eardrum, grommets, a history of ear surgery, or only one hearing ear, situations where syringing shouldn’t be used at all.
If we look in your ear and there’s no wax to remove, we’ll tell you, and you won’t be charged for a procedure you didn’t need.
Hearing tests and full diagnostic assessments
Our comprehensive adult hearing assessment includes a discussion of your hearing concerns, examination of your ears, hearing testing, speech testing and tympanometry where appropriate.
We explain your results and discuss the next steps with you. An optional written report is available. There is no obligation to purchase hearing aids.
Hearing aids fitted and verified with real ear measurement
At our private hearing clinic in Dartford, we fit hearing aids from Phonak, Oticon, Widex, Signia, ReSound, Starkey, Unitron and Rexton. The brand matters less than many people think. What makes the biggest difference is how accurately the hearing aids are programmed for your hearing and your ears.
Every hearing aid we fit is checked using real ear measurement. A thin probe microphone is placed gently inside your ear canal alongside the hearing aid. It measures the sound that is actually reaching your eardrum, rather than relying on the manufacturer’s fitting software to predict it.
Because every ear canal differs in shape and size, software predictions are not always accurate. Those differences can affect how clearly and comfortably you hear. Real ear measurement allows our audiologists to make precise adjustments and provides objective evidence that your hearing aids are delivering the right level of sound for your hearing loss.
This testing can also prevent you from spending money unnecessarily. If you visit us believing you need the latest premium hearing aids, we can measure the performance of your current devices first. If they are already giving you the amplification you need, we will tell you honestly.
Tinnitus and hyperacusis assessment
Tinnitus is rarely just noise. It’s the sleep it costs you, the concentration it takes, and the worry that it means something serious. Our tinnitus assessment looks for an underlying cause first, measures the pitch and loudness of what you’re hearing, and checks the hearing loss that so often sits underneath it.
From there we build a plan: sound therapy, hearing aids where hearing loss is driving it, and CBT-informed tinnitus therapy for the part that habituation alone doesn’t reach. For hyperacusis, where ordinary sound is genuinely painful, we work through structured desensitisation rather than the ear protection that tends to make it worse over time.
Children's hearing assessments
We assess children over three years old, using methods matched to their age and developmental needs. The appointment includes a written report and earwax removal if required.
Two audiologists are arranged when the assessment needs require them, including some play-based assessments and assessments for children with autism. Please tell us about any additional needs when booking so we can arrange the right appointment.
Auditory processing disorder assessment
Some people have normal hearing on every test and still can’t follow speech in a noisy room. Auditory processing disorder is a difficulty in how the brain interprets sound rather than in the ear itself, and it is routinely missed because a standard hearing test comes back clear.
Our APD assessment runs two hours and uses a battery of tests a standard appointment doesn’t include. It is most often sought for children struggling in class and for adults who have been told repeatedly that their hearing is fine.
Custom ear protection
Off-the-shelf plugs either fall out or block everything, which is why most people stop wearing them. Custom plugs are moulded from an impression of your own ear and made to do one job well: musicians’ filters that lower the volume without muffling detail, shooting protection, motorcycling, swimming, or simply sleeping through a snoring partner.
Why people come to us
- Registered with the HCPC, BSHAA, RCCP and ACHS.
- Real ear measurement on every hearing aid fitting, as standard rather than on request.
- NHS-trained clinicians, and you see the same one each visit.
- Appointments usually within a few days, not a waiting list.
- We tell you when you don’t need treatment.
Visit our private ear and hearing clinic in Dartford
Tragus is located at Regus Admirals Park, Victory Way, Dartford, Kent, DA2 6QD. Free on-site parking is available. You can find directions and contact details here.
Our Dartford hearing clinic is only a few minutes from Junction 1a of the M25 and is easy to reach from the A2. This convenient location brings us patients from Dartford, Bexley, Bexleyheath and across South East London, as well as the surrounding areas of Kent.
Opening hours
- Monday to Friday: 10am–6pm
- Alternate Saturdays: 11am–4pm
- Sunday: Closed
Please call to confirm which Saturday clinics are available. To make an appointment, call 020 8168 1212 or book online.
Common questions
Does microsuction hurt?
No. It is loud rather than painful. The suction sounds like a vacuum close to your ear. Most people find it strange for the first few seconds and unremarkable after that.
Do I need to use drops first?
Not necessarily, but two or three nights of olive oil usually makes the appointment shorter and more comfortable. If you haven’t used any, come anyway and we will tell you if it needs softening and rebooking.
Do I need a GP referral?
No. You can book directly.
Can you remove wax if I have a perforation or grommets?
Usually yes. Microsuction is the preferred method in exactly these cases, because nothing is flushed into the ear. Tell us when you book so we have the history.
How long does an appointment take?
Ear wax removal is typically twenty to thirty minutes. A full hearing assessment takes around an hour. The APD assessment runs two hours.
What if there is no wax there?
We will look, tell you what we find, and not charge you for a procedure you did not need.