Edited sentence: ) in the hearing sciences and state/national licensure.Audiologists are licensed professionals who have a graduate degree (Masters, Au.Hearing aids are often advertised on the Internet for much lower prices than you can get at an audiologist or hearing instrument specialist.Hearing instrument specialists ("hearing aid dispensers") are professionals with state or national licensure.In Australia, another category of professional called audiometrists exists.In addition, follow-up care is best practice when anyone receives hearing aids.It will take several months of full-time use before the brain readjusts to hearing sounds that it may not have heard for decades.Prior to 1984 when audiologists changed their code of ethics to allow the selling of hearing aids, hearing instrument dispensers fit all of the patients referred to them by audiologists.Purchasing a hearing aid from an audiologist or a dispenser is the safest choice for your hearing.The best way to purchase a hearing aid is from a licensed professional who has tested your hearing.These hearing aids are often substandard in quality, are never custom-fit to your ear, and are rarely adjustable.These professionals have some higher education, fit hearing aids, and provide rehabilitative services.They may be too powerful for your ears or too weak.When someone first seeks hearing aids, it is likely they have had hearing loss for quite some time.or Ph