Very good ENT's will test your hearing through the bone. You will pick up sound through your skull even if your hearing is gone. Bone Anchored Hearing Aids use that principal. I think one of the tests is that they will put an ear bud in the bad side and run static through it along with test sounds that you will have to respond to. They also will put a sound device outside your ear (behind, I think) and run sound through that. It depends on the ear clinic. We have a very big one here in San Antonio and they'll run every possible test on hearing, and a few experimentals. They also do balance testing with a spinning chair and movable floor, warm water in your ear, etc. Very thorough.