People know how important it is to visit the dentist to have their teeth checked. They know how important it is to go to the eye doctor to have their eyes checked. Yet many people neglect to see an audiologist to have their hearing checked as often as they should. Shockingly, some people have never had a hearing test at all. Unlike with your eyes and teeth, you may not even realize that there’s an issue. This is why having a hearing test is a must.

If you’re still not convinced that this is something you need to do, here are three reasons to get a hearing test:

Establish a baseline

Establishing a baseline with an initial hearing test could enlighten you to issues that you never even realized you had. Those older than 50 should have at least one hearing test per year; doing so will help you to find any abnormalities as quickly as possible. The baseline test will help to establish how well you hear different pitches and frequencies, and determine whether you are suffering from any type of hearing loss. Undiagnosed hearing loss will make it difficult for you to hear again in the future. The sooner it is detected, the easier it’ll be treated.

Detect any hearing or auditory system issues

There are many types of hearing problems and they’re not all restricted to older people. The different kinds of hearing loss include conductive and sensorineural, and these two types can also concur together in a mixed hearing loss. It’s important to know the type of hearing loss you are suffering from so treatment can be prescribed and you can take the steps to recovery and preventing further damage.

Reconnect with the world

A problem such as hearing loss or ear damage can make you feel like you're separate from the people you love and the world around you. Finally getting treatment for hearing loss can help you to reconnect with the world around you, conversing with the ones you love like before and enjoying activities that you haven’t found joy in for a while. Getting treatment for your hearing problem will improve your quality of life and give you a spring in your step.

It’s best to have a hearing test at least once in your adult life from the ages of 21 to 60. After the age of 50, it’s a good idea to have one at least once per year. The longer you put off getting treatment for any hearing related issues, the more difficult it can be to treat. Remember, you don’t always get symptoms like you do with eye and teeth conditions. Just because you haven’t experienced any problems yet, doesn’t mean there isn’t anything going on behind the scenes. You’ll regret not having a test sooner if you do discover a problem eventually.