People go to the eye doctor once a year and go to the dentist once or twice a year, and yet far too many people don't go for a checkup for another critical part of their body, and that's your ears. Your hearing is just as valuable a part of your body and your day-to-day experience as anything provided by your eyes or your mouth. A regular trip to your local audiologist for a checkup can help you in a variety of ways. An audiologist can help you get a hearing aid if needed, but they can also assist with other situations that might not call for a hearing aid. 

You've Had Lifelong Problems With Ear Wax Build Up or Are Suddenly Building Up More Wax Than Usual

Do you have an issue with ear wax inside your ears? Maybe your ears build up more wax than normal or maybe you've caused an issue by compacting ear wax into your ear by using a Q-tip improperly. An audiologist can inspect your ear physically in addition to conducting those hearing tests. They may be able to treat an ear with compacted wax or give you some tips or best practices for how to deal with an ear wax problem going forward.

You Are Having Issues With Your Balance as You Get Older or Following an Injury and Believe Your Ears Could Be to Blame

Your inner ear plays a large role in helping you maintain your balance as you move around every day. Deterioration in this area as you get older or following an injury could cause balance problems that could worsen your lifestyle or day-to-day living experience. An inspection by an audiologist could help you pinpoint the exact problem and possibly seek treatment to fix or correct the issue and hopefully restore your balance to where it used to be.

Too Many Years of Headphone Usage Has Led to Tinnitus Issues

Do you sometimes have ringing in your ears when you are done listening to something with headphones? Does this ringing sound randomly happen even when you are not listening to anything and just sitting in a quiet room? Tinnitus is the name of a condition that occurs when people hear ringing, buzzing, or other strange noises inside their ears. It is most commonly caused by damaging your ears over time due to repeated exposure to loud sounds, such as putting your headphones on blast or sitting in the front row at a lot of concerts. If you have tinnitus, an audiologist can help you understand the issue and will also check to see if there are other causes of your tinnitus that can actually be treated, such as an issue with your sinus pressure or blood pressure.