There tends to be more confusion when it involves 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 very often uncertain as to what action we should take or which professional we should see.
So what exactly can a local hearing care professional do for you? Several things, actually—things that could end up making your life better and more convenient.
The following are 6 services you should know about.
1. Assessment of hearing and balance
Hearing professionals are specifically trained in assessing hearing and balance. If you suspect hearing loss, balance issues, or experience ringing or buzzing in the ears, the local hearing professional is the go-to professional.
By performing professional audiological evaluations, hearing specialists can skillfully diagnose the cause of your hearing loss or balance problems. And if your hearing loss is triggered by an underlying medical condition, hearing specialists can make the appropriate referrals.
Additionally, If you have persistent ringing in the ears, known as tinnitus, some hearing specialists can supply targeted therapies.
2. Earwax removal
In some instances, what is assumed to be hearing loss is simply excessive earwax buildup. While it’s not the most glamorous facet of the job, hearing specialists are trained in professional ear cleaning. If this is the source of your hearing loss, you could start 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 several other proper ways you can clean your ears, such as with homemade solutions or ideally by booking an appointment the hearing specialist.
3. Custom hearing protection
Many people make the error of first visiting the hearing specialist after they develop hearing loss. Don’t make the same mistake. If you’re working in a noisy occupation (for instance as a musician) or participate in loud activities (such as hunting), you should pick up custom made ear protection to avoid future hearing loss.
You could just purchase some foam earplugs at the convenience store, but they’re ordinarily uncomfortable and produce an annoying muffled sound. Custom earplugs fit comfortably in your ear and maintain the sounds you desire to hear while protecting against the sounds that lead to damage.
4. Professional hearing tests (audiometry)
Hearing loss is invisible, painless, and oftentimes difficult to recognize or accept. The only method to attain an accurate diagnosis is through a professional hearing evaluation known as audiometry.
Using state-of-the-art equipment and procedures, the hearing specialist can precisely diagnose hearing loss. Immediately after performing the testing, the results are printed on a graph known as an audiogram. Like a fingerprint, everyone’s hearing loss is somewhat 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 fitting
Hearing aids are available in many styles, from numerous manufacturers, equipped with countless capabilities. Since everyone’s hearing loss and preferences are a little different, this wide variety is required—but it does make things slightly overwhelming when you need to make a choice.
That’s where hearing specialists can help you. They’ll help you find the hearing aid that matches your hearing loss while ensuring that you don’t waste money on functions you simply don’t care about or require.
Right after you come across the ideal hearing aid, your hearing specialist will use your audiogram as the blueprint for customization. That way, you’ll be sure that your hearing aid maximizes your hearing according to the sounds you primarily have trouble hearing.
6. A lifetime of healthy hearing
The health of your hearing should be maintained as vigorously as any other component of your health. We have family physicians, dentists, and optometrists that help maintain various aspects of our health on a continuous basis.
In the same way, we ought to have a dedicated professional watching out for the health of our hearing. Your relationship with your hearing specialist shouldn’t conclude following your hearing test; it should be ongoing. Hearing specialists offer a range of helpful 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 inevitably change over time, your hearing specialist should not. If you commit to locating a local professional who cares about helping people above all else, you’ll enjoy the benefits of healthy hearing for life.