There tends to be more misunderstanding when it relates to hearing care than with most other medical specialties. We don’t have to ask, for instance, what a dentist or eye doctor can do for us. But when it comes to our hearing, we’re typically unsure as to what we should do or who we should visit.
So what exactly can a local hearing care professional do for you? Many things, actually—things that could end up making your life better and more convenient.
Here are 6 services you should know about.
1. Evaluation of hearing and balance
Hearing professionals are specially trained in examining hearing and balance. If you suspect hearing loss, balance problems, or experience ringing or buzzing in the ears, the local hearing specialist is the go-to expert.
By performing professional audiological assessments, hearing specialists can expertly diagnose the cause of your hearing loss or balance problems. And if your hearing loss is caused by an underlying medical condition, hearing specialists can prepare the suitable referrals.
Additionally, If you have constant ringing in the ears, known as tinnitus, some hearing specialists can provide targeted therapies.
2. Earwax removal
In some cases, what is assumed to be hearing loss is nothing more than excessive earwax buildup. While it’s not the most glamorous aspect of the job, hearing specialists are trained in professional ear cleaning. If this is the reason behind your hearing loss, you could begin hearing better within a few minutes.
And always remember, it’s never safe to insert anything, including cotton swabs, into your ear canal at home. There are several other appropriate ways you can clean your ears, such as with homemade solutions or ideally by booking an appointment the hearing specialist.
3. Personalized hearing protection
A great number of people make the mistake of first visiting the hearing specialist after they develop hearing loss. Don’t commit the same mistake. If you work in a noisy industry (for instance as a musician) or participate in loud activities (like hunting), you should invest in custom made ear protection to protect against future hearing loss.
You could just pick up some foam earplugs at the convenience store, but they’re usually uncomfortable and create an bothersome muffled sound. Custom earplugs fit comfortably in your ear and preserve the sounds you want to hear while protecting against the sounds that result in damage.
4. Expert hearing tests (audiometry)
Hearing loss is imperceptible, painless, and frequently hard to acknowledge or accept. The only way to attain an accurate diagnosis is with the aid of a professional hearing examination referred to as audiometry.
Making use of state-of-the-art equipment and practices, the hearing specialist can accurately diagnose hearing loss. Immediately after performing the testing, the results are printed on a chart known as an audiogram. Like a fingerprint, everyone’s hearing loss is a little different, which will be visually displayed on the audiogram.
If you can reap benefits from hearing aids, the audiogram will serve as the blueprint to programming and personalizing the technology.
5. Hearing aid selection and fitting
Hearing aids are available in many styles, from a number of manufacturers, equipped with countless features. Given that everyone’s hearing loss and preferences are a little different, this wide variety is necessary—but it does make things a little overwhelming when you need to make a choice.
That’s where hearing professionals can help. They’ll help you find the hearing aid that suits your hearing loss while making sure that you don’t throw away money on features you simply don’t care about or require.
As soon as you come across the right hearing aid, your hearing specialist will use your audiogram as the blueprint for personalization. That way, you’ll be sure that your hearing aid optimizes your hearing according to the sounds you primarily have trouble hearing.
6. A lifetime of healthy hearing
The health of your hearing should always be maintained as vigorously as any other aspect of your health. We have primary care physicians, dentists, and optometrists that help safeguard various aspects of our health on a continuous basis.
Likewise, we should have a specific professional watching out for the health of our hearing. Your partnership with your hearing specialist shouldn’t conclude following your hearing test; it should be on-going. Hearing specialists provide a variety of beneficial life-long services, including hearing aid cleaning, maintenance, troubleshooting, and repair, together with advice and guidance on the latest technology.
So while your hearing will undoubtedly change over time, your hearing specialist should not. If you agree to locating a local professional who cares about helping people over all else, you’ll enjoy the advantages of healthy hearing for life.
