What to Expect at a Hearing Test
Why Take a Hearing Test?
Hearing tests are an important part of maintaining your hearing health over the course of your life. Whether you suspect you have hearing loss or not, getting a hearing test will give you a picture of your current hearing ability and let you know if you have any measurable hearing loss.
It’s not uncommon for people to have 10 or 15 dBHL (decibels hearing level) of hearing loss at some frequencies without even realizing it. That’s because this amount of hearing loss won’t cause any problems in your day-to-day life. Hearing aids are not recommended for less than 20–25 dBHL of loss, so if you know you have some hearing loss you can start taking steps to better protect your hearing going forward and avoid the need for hearing aids down the road. Custom hearing protection is the best way to ensure that you are adequately protecting your hearing for the activities you love.
The Better Hearing Institute, a non-profit organization, recommends getting a hearing test once every decade until age 50, and once every three years after that. Those in high-risk occupations or with a medical history indicating a higher risk of hearing loss should be tested even more frequently.
At Infinite Hearing Solutions, we provide a comprehensive hearing evaluation to every patient we see. The entire process is completely painless and takes about 90 minutes.
What to Expect with a Hearing Test
Questionnaire on Lifestyle & Medical History
Physical Examination
The Hearing Test
For the hearing test, you’ll sit in a soundproof booth and wear a set of headphones. We use state-of-the-art testing equipment to ensure we get the most objective picture of your hearing ability we can. We’ll perform a number of different tests to evaluate not only your degree of hearing loss, but how your hearing ability works for you in more realistic listening situations.
Reviewing the Audiogram
The results of your pure-tone test will be displayed on an audiogram, a visual representation of your hearing abilities. We will explain the audiogram to you, go over your results, and have a conversation about how to protect your hearing and/or treat your hearing loss going forward.
If hearing aids are recommended, you’ll be able to “test drive” some different types to see which might sound best to you. If custom earmolds are required for hearing aids or custom hearing protection, we’ll take an impression of your ear canal. We’ll insert a silicone-like substance into your ears and ask you to move your jaw while the substance hardens. The process is painless and only takes about five minutes. Many people choose to go with RIC-style devices that use standard domes so no impression is needed.
We offer premium hearing aids at Infinite Hearing Solutions, and our unique Hearing Aid Test Drive process will help ensure that the set of hearing aids you order will be the best set for you. Contact us today to learn more!
Call us to schedule an appointment!