What to Expect at Your First ENT Appointment

When you visit any health care provider for the first time, it is perfectly normal to be a little nervous. You may not know what to expect from your visit with the ENT, or otolaryngologist. This guide will help you prepare for your appointment and put you at ease.

Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork

No first visit to any doctor’s office would be complete without what seems to be like a mountain of paperwork. We want your first visit to go as smoothly as possible. That’s why we have all new patient forms and medical release forms available online. All you need to do is visit our Patient Forms page, download the forms, print them out and fill them in at your leisure in the comfort of your home or office. Don’t panic if you can’t find a pen or your insurance card.

Medications and supplements

One thing you will want to bring with you is a list of all medications you are currently taking. This list should include not just prescribed medications, but all over the counter medications and supplements as well. This might not be easy to remember when you are sitting in the ENT’s office, but it will be easy to make the list when you are sitting at home. Include the dosage amount and frequency.

During the visit

The doctor will take a complete medical history. It will help if you have made a note of your symptoms so that you don’t forget to mention anything. Be sure to let the ENT know when the symptoms first began. Depending on the reason for the visit, the ENT will perform a physical and visual examination. This may include looking in your ears, your nose and your throat.

Your neck, throat, cheekbones and other areas of your face and head may be palpitated. The ENT may use a special instrument called an otoscope to peer into your ears. The otoscope does not hurt. A simple speculum may be used to see inside your nasal passages. The use of the speculum should not be uncomfortable and it should not hurt. The ENT examination may feel overwhelming because of the instruments used to peer, poke and prod, but none of these procedures should cause you physical discomfort.

If having your nose, ears or other body parts touched causes you anxiety, let the ENT know before the examination begins. The role of the ENT is to provide relief, not add to your discomfort.

Hearing Tests

Depending on the reason for your visit, various hearing tests may be performed by our highly trained audiologists. Scans, images, and balance tests may be performed if you have had problems with your ears or dizziness.

If at the end of the day your audiologist determines that you could benefit from one of our amazing hearing aids, fret not — this is the beginning of the rest of your life! So many people worry about the stigma of hearing aids. But in all honesty, after a professional fitting, all of our clients have walked away feeling like superheroes!

For the first time in years, they're able to interact with all of their friends like nothing had happened. Don't be afraid of hearing aids… They're your friends, and so are we!

You Are Your Best Advocate

At any time before or during your ENT visit, don’t be afraid to ask questions. You are your most important health care advocate. If the ENT uses terms you don’t understand, ask for an explanation.