Your Hearing & Ear Health Questions, Answered Simply
Below is a curated list of common hearing and ear‑health questions with clear simple answers from your local audiologist.
These are the questions people ask most often — answered in a way that’s clear, calm, and genuinely helpful.
1. My hearing suddenly dropped — what should I do right now?
A sudden drop in hearing should be checked the same day if possible. The first step is to rule out ear wax — any audiologist or your GP can take look in your ears and confirm this quickly. If it’s not wax, an audiologist will do an urgent hearing test so your GP or specialist has the information they need. If you can’t get to an audiologist today, see your GP so they can rule out wax and guide the next steps.
2. Can you tell me if I need grommets?
The first step is a hearing test — that’s what your GP or an ENT will want before making any decisions. After the test, the audiologist can guide you on referral options, whether that’s privately through your insurance or via your GP for a public referral. Starting with the hearing test saves time and cost.
3. Do you offer free Hearing Aid trials?
No — because that would be a gimmick. We don’t do gimmicks at hear.. However, every fitting comes with a 6‑week right‑of‑return period. During that time the audiologist will meet with you a few times to check how things are going. If you’re not seeing improvement — or if there are issues like wax, comfort, or tricky listening environments — we’ll work through those together. And if there’s still no benefit, we’ll insist on returning the devices and reviewing the plan.
4. My ears just started ringing — what should I do?
The best first step is to see an audiologist for a hearing check and a look in your ears. That helps rule out simple causes like wax or foreign objects and gives us a baseline for what’s going on. From there, the audiologist can guide you on whether you need to see your GP or a specialist.
5. My balance suddenly went bad — what should I do?
A sudden change in balance should be checked promptly. You can see an audiologist first for a hearing test and ear check, and the audiologist can guide you on whether physio or medical review is needed. Or you can see your GP first, and they’ll decide whether you need audiology, physio, or another pathway.
6. My hearing aids are useless — I want them sorted!
Right you are, on both counts. Nobody wants useless hearing aids. Let’s break this one down clear and simple: they aids will either be faulty or they will be under-performing. When did they start becoming useless? What did your original audiologist tell you about maintenance and has this been done? Hearing aids can struggle for a few reasons — anything from wax blocking the microphones or receivers, to a change in your hearing, to settings that no longer match your lifestyle. Sometimes the devices themselves need repair. Your audiologist will need go through it step by step and get to the bottom of it. They will only ever be useless if the problem remains unaddressed. Please, bring them in to hear. or your usual audiologist. The good news is that usually the fix is straightforward.
7. My ear feels blocked — what should I do?
A blocked feeling is often caused by wax, but not always. It’s best to have it checked properly. The audiologist can look in your ear, confirm what’s going on, and remove wax safely if that’s the cause. If it’s not wax, a hearing test helps guide the next steps.
8. My ear is really sore — what infection do you think it is?
Ear pain can have a few causes. The safest step is to see your GP so they can look in your ear and check for infection. If they need hearing information or think audiology is involved, they’ll let you know.
9. Is tinnitus dangerous?
Tinnitus itself isn’t dangerous, it’s a symptom of something else going on. That in itself may be something as simple as wax suddenly blocking your ear. Or it may need looking at by an ENT specialist. The first step is seeing an audiologist. Long-term, tinnitus may end up simply being a part of you; it’s actually more common than people think and absolutely will not harm you. The important part is allowing the tinnitus to be present, rather than fighting it. When you can do that, tinnitus tends to fade into the background. Book in if you have concerns around tinnitus and we’ll take it from there.
10. I was exposed to a really loud noise — what should I do?
If your hearing feels different or you’ve developed ringing and it doesn’t go away after 24 hours then it’s best to get checked as soon as you can. The audiologist will look in your ears, rule out wax, and do a hearing test to see what’s changed. If medical follow‑up is needed, we’ll help with the next steps.
11. What exactly happens in a hearing test?
A hearing test is straightforward and comfortable. The audiologist will look in your ears, check canal and eardrum anatomy, and then measure your hearing in a sound‑treated room. It usually takes around 45 minutes, and you’ll get clear results and guidance straight away.
12. Can you tell me what’s wrong with my ears?
Yes, and whatever feels wrong will almost never end up being scary or exotic. After assessing your ear canal health, hearing, and middle-ear function — the audiologist will usually have enough useful information to tell you what’s going on with your ears. And if not, if anything needs medical assessment, we’ll guide you on whether to see your GP or a specialist.
13. My hearing aid isn’t working — what should I do?
Start by checking the basics: make sure it’s charged or has a fresh battery, and check for wax blocking the microphones or receivers. If it’s still not working, the audiologist can take a proper look, clean it, test it, and if needed send the aids to the manufacturer for repairs.
14. My hearing aid keeps squealing — why is that happening?
Feedback means exactly one thing: sound is leaking out and being picked up again. It can be caused by wax, a loose fit, or settings that need adjusting. The audiologist will check the fit, look for wax, and fine‑tune the settings to sort it out.
15. Do I need hearing aids?
Are you noticing any difficulty with hearing that makes you feel inconvenienced, or frustrated, or even isolated? If your answer to any of those is yes, then yes — probably hearing aids are needed. If you’ve had a hearing test and the audiogram shows a hearing loss — don’t worry so much about the hearing graph itself. The graph is for the audiologist. The graph is not your lived experienced with hearing. If you have not yet had your hearing checked then first step is booking in. The audiologist will listen to any concerns you have, check your hearing, talk through the results, and explain whether hearing aids would help. If they’re recommended, we’ll guide you through options that fit your needs.
16. Can I get hearing aids without a hearing test?
Yes. Sometimes this does happen, if aids are inherited or gifted and simply worn as they are. This almost never will work well though. Hearing aids need to be physically fit to your ears and programmed to your hearing levels. So, a test is essential. The audiologist will measure your hearing and use that information to set the devices up properly using gold-standard procedures. It’s the safest and most effective way to get a useful result.
17. Do you remove ear wax?
Yes — this is done at hear. using microsuctioning and manual retrieval. The procedure is typically 10-15 minutes and well tolerated. If wax is not the issue, we’ll guide you on the next steps.
18. Do you test children’s hearing?
We can test children of any age as long as they can follow instructions and respond reliably. For very young children (e.g., 3 and below), or if there are developmental or medical concerns, we’ll guide you to the right paediatric audiology service.
19. Do you offer free hearing tests?
Nope. You might find the reasons interesting — read more here. There are clinics that offer this. If you prefer not to pay for a hearing test that’s totally fine, take advantage of what’s out there. But we don’t do it.
20. Are you part of a chain?
No — we’re an independent clinic based in Lincoln, Canterbury. That means we’re not tied to any manufacturer or corporate sales targets, and the audiologist can recommend whatever genuinely suits you. We have our preferred partners, Phonak and Starkey, because of observed real-world performance but we are not limited to just these brands.