There tends to be more misunderstanding when it pertains to hearing care than with most other medical specializations. We don’t have to ask, for example, what a dentist or eye doctor can do for us. But when it comes to our hearing, we’re commonly unsure as to what action we should take or which professional 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 be familiar with.
1. Examination of hearing and balance
Hearing specialists are specifically trained in examining hearing and balance. If you think you have hearing loss, balance issues, or experience ringing or buzzing in the ears, the local hearing professional is the go-to professional.
By carrying out professional audiological assessments, hearing specialists can skillfully establish the cause of your hearing loss or balance problems. And if your hearing loss is triggered by an underlying medical issue, hearing specialists can prepare the relevant referrals.
Also, If you have consistent ringing in the ears, known as tinnitus, some hearing specialists can furnish targeted therapies.
2. Earwax removal
In certain cases, what is believed to be hearing loss is nothing more than excess earwax buildup. While it’s not the most extravagant feature 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 matter of minutes.
And always remember, it’s never safe to insert anything, most notably cotton swabs, into your ear canal at home. There are other appropriate ways you can clean your ears, such as with homemade solutions or ideally by visiting the hearing specialist.
3. Custom hearing protection
A great number of people make the error of first visiting the hearing specialist after they acquire hearing loss. Don’t make the same mistake. If you work in a noisy occupation (for example as a musician) or take part in loud activities (like hunting), you should get yourself custom ear protection to prevent future hearing loss.
You could just purchase some foam earplugs at the convenience store, but they’re usually uncomfortable and produce an annoying muffled sound. Custom earplugs fit comfortably in your ear and conserve the sounds you want to hear while protecting against the sounds that bring about damage.
4. Expert hearing tests (audiometry)
Hearing loss is invisible, pain-free, and at times difficult to acknowledge or accept. The only way to attain an accurate diagnosis is with the aid of a professional hearing assessment referred to as audiometry.
Utilizing state-of-the-art equipment and procedures, the hearing specialist can accurately diagnose hearing loss. Immediately after performing the test, the results are printed on a diagram called an audiogram. Just like a fingerprint, everyone’s hearing loss is a little different, which will be visually depicted on the audiogram.
If you can benefit from hearing aids, the audiogram will serve as the blueprint to programming and customizing the technology.
5. Hearing aid selection and adjustment
Hearing aids are available in several styles, from numerous producers, equipped with countless capabilities. Considering that everyone’s hearing loss and preferences are different, this wide variety is necessary—but it does make things a little overwhelming when you need to make a decision.
That’s where hearing professionals can help you. They’ll assist you to find the hearing aid that matches your hearing loss while ensuring that you don’t throw away cash on features you simply don’t care about or need.
As soon as you discover the ideal hearing aid, your hearing specialist will make use of your audiogram as the blueprint for customization. That way, you’ll be certain that your hearing aid maximizes your hearing according to the sounds you specifically have difficulty hearing.
6. A lifetime of healthy hearing
The health of your hearing should always be preserved as intensely 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 continuing basis.
In the same way, we should have a dedicated professional watching out for the health of our hearing. Your relationship with your hearing specialist shouldn’t end after your hearing test; it should be ongoing. Hearing specialists offer a variety of useful life-long services, including hearing aid cleaning, maintenance, troubleshooting, and repair, together with advice and direction on the latest technology.
So while your hearing will undoubtedly change over time, your hearing specialist should not. If you commit to locating a local professional who cares about helping people over all else, you’ll enjoy the advantages of healthy hearing for life.
