Hearing aids come in a variety of styles and designs and each has its own set of technological and structural benefits. The "correct" hearing aid for you depends both on your tastes and the severity of your hearing loss.
- Visit your
regular physician if you think you have hearing loss. He will administer basic hearing tests and look in your ear for other explanations such as ear wax accumulation. If he suspects hearing loss, he will you refer you to a otolaryngologist (ENT doctor). She will diagnose the extent of your hearing loss. Not all hearing loss will benefit from hearing aids. Hearing aids are best for people who have experienced sensor neural hearing loss.
- Discuss the current available hearing aid options with your ENT. The right hearing aid is a combination of preference and the seriousness of your hearing loss. For instance, you may want a barely visibly "complete in-the-ear" hearing aid. Although the moldable in-the-ear options are great due to their lack of ambient noise feedback and their inconspicuous nature, they may not help as much with severe hearing loss.
- Consider some of the more noticeable hearing aids if your doctor notes more severe hearing loss. People with severe hearing loss may benefit from full shell and behind the ear models. While these types of hearing aids may provide better amplification for serious hearing loss, they are chunkier and clearly visible.
- Get any appropriate ear molds. A hearing specialist (known as an audiologist) will take an ear mold and fit you with your hearing aid. Follow your audiologist's instructions and note what you like or don't like about the hearing aid. If your aid doesn't improve your hearing, produces too much feedback or displeases you aesthetically, your audiologist will find a more suitable model.
Tips & Warnings
- If you have a lot of earwax but also have genuine hearing loss, consider an open fit "behind-the-ear" model. The open fit will prevent any damage that ear wax may cause to the devise. In addition, it's less visible than the traditional behind-the-ear model. Once you have a hearing aid you want to try, look into the details about the aid's trial periods. Since it's sometimes hard to get the perfect aid on the first try, most aids will have warranties and adjustment period pricing plans.
- Many health insurance companies do not cover the cost of hearing aids. Read through your plan before you make a financial commitment. Watch out for any audiologist that seems to represent a particular type or brand of hearing aid. Scams are always possible. Try to find referrals from a reputable source such as your ENT doctor.
- Visit your
regular physician if you think you have hearing loss. He will administer basic hearing tests and look in your ear for other explanations such as ear wax accumulation. If he suspects hearing loss, he will you refer you to a otolaryngologist (ENT doctor). She will diagnose the extent of your hearing loss. Not all hearing loss will benefit from hearing aids. Hearing aids are best for people who have experienced sensor neural hearing loss.- Discuss the current available hearing aid options with your ENT. The right hearing aid is a combination of preference and the seriousness of your hearing loss. For instance, you may want a barely visibly "complete in-the-ear" hearing aid. Although the moldable in-the-ear options are great due to their lack of ambient noise feedback and their inconspicuous nature, they may not help as much with severe hearing loss.
- Consider some of the more noticeable hearing aids if your doctor notes more severe hearing loss. People with severe hearing loss may benefit from full shell and behind the ear models. While these types of hearing aids may provide better amplification for serious hearing loss, they are chunkier and clearly visible.
- Get any appropriate ear molds. A hearing specialist (known as an audiologist) will take an ear mold and fit you with your hearing aid. Follow your audiologist's instructions and note what you like or don't like about the hearing aid. If your aid doesn't improve your hearing, produces too much feedback or displeases you aesthetically, your audiologist will find a more suitable model.
Tips & Warnings
- If you have a lot of earwax but also have genuine hearing loss, consider an open fit "behind-the-ear" model. The open fit will prevent any damage that ear wax may cause to the devise. In addition, it's less visible than the traditional behind-the-ear model. Once you have a hearing aid you want to try, look into the details about the aid's trial periods. Since it's sometimes hard to get the perfect aid on the first try, most aids will have warranties and adjustment period pricing plans.
- Many health insurance companies do not cover the cost of hearing aids. Read through your plan before you make a financial commitment. Watch out for any audiologist that seems to represent a particular type or brand of hearing aid. Scams are always possible. Try to find referrals from a reputable source such as your ENT doctor.
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