Hearing Aid Styles
Receiver-In-Canal
RICs’ receiver (or speaker) part of the hearing aid goes inside the ear canal. These are the most commonly worn hearing aids of today due to their discreet size and flexibility to fit most hearing losses. They include two parts: the hearing aid that sits behind your ear, and the wire that goes into your ear canal. This style can come with custom earmolds for maximum comfort and/or power or generic eartips.
Behind-the-Ear
A BTE has two parts: the hearing aid, which sits on top of the ear, and a tube which goes down into the ear canal. These are easier to handle when dexterity is an issue. This style can come with custom earmolds for maximum comfort and/or power or generic eartips.
Custom Crafted
Custom hearing aids come in many sizes, from Invisible-In-the-Canal (IIC), to easier to handle and more powerful larger sizes of In-the-Ear (ITE). All of the components of the hearing aid sit in your ear canal or outer ear. They are custom-made to fit your ear’s shape and size for maximum comfort and retention.
ASH Audiology is an independent hearing aid provider, with no obligation to any particular hearing aid manufacturer; therefore, our only motivation is to help you decide which hearing aid is best for your hearing lifestyle needs. It can be overwhelming to research the numerous options available as manufacturers produce new hearing aid models each year, like a cell phone. Dr. Magann Faivre will keep you up-to-date on the latest and greatest technology, their features, and determine which devices best fit your hearing, style, and budget needs.
12 Benefits of Modern Hearing Technology
Advanced, digital noise and wind reduction to help you hear more clearly and comfortably when you’re out to eat, at a social gathering, or playing a round of golf
Easy-to-use smartphone apps allow you to make adjustments to how you hear, on-the-go, as your listening needs change
Direct streaming of phone calls, music, books on tape, and more to your ears from your smartphone, tablet, or bluetooth-enabled device
Rechargeable and disposable battery options
Remote hearing care, or telemedicine, allows your audiologist to make adjustments to your hearing aids without you coming into the clinic
Automatic management of loud sounds, volume control, and program changes to maintain comfort and clarity
Control of annoying feedback (whistling sounds)
Television and bluetooth accessories allow for connectivity to your TV, landline or flip phone, computer, and other bluetooth-enabled devices
Remote microphone accessory lets you hear people at a distance or in noisy places, such as your preacher at church, eating out with a friend, or hearing your spouse from the other room
Better precision in setting gain for each frequency to meet your hearing prescription
“Smart” processing, such as machine learning, allows your hearing aids to adjust to your preferences
Safety notifications that can be sent to loved ones to let them know when a fall has occurred or a battery needs replacing or recharged
How to Choose Hearing Technology
Your Hearing Lifestyle Needs: Hearing aids come in different technology levels, meaning the computer chip inside the technology varies in its ability to block out background noise, fit precisely to your hearing loss prescription, connect to your cell phone and television, remote hearing care from your home, and more. The more active you are and are in different listening environments, the more you’ll likely want advanced features. To learn more about hearing technology levels, click here.
Which Style You Like Best: Some people prefer flexibility and sleekness, others want their hearing aids to be invisible, while others may need a sturdier, easier-to-handle hearing aid. No matter your preferences, ASH Audiology carries all ranges of styles for you.
Your Budget and Payment Preference: Hearing aids are an investment, and budget is an important part of the decision-making process. ASH Audiology offers a range of devices to fit anyone’s financial needs. Click here to learn more about our pricing and partnerships with community organizations that help with funding.
Hearing Aid Companies
Although there are many companies that manufacture hearing aids, there are a few main ones that consistently produce top-of-the-line and reliable technology. We work with all of them and more.
GN ReSound | Starkey | Phonak | Widex | Signia | Oticon | Unitron
FAQs
My parent/grandparent is 80-90 years old. Are hearing aids still worth it?
Yes. As we get older, it’s even more important that we can interact and engage with our loved ones. Everyone, no matter how old, needs to be able to communicate with the people around them. Listening and talking with others is important for maintaining a good quality of life.
Should I get one hearing aid or two?
In this case, two is better than one. If you have hearing loss in both ears, you need to treat both ears. Similar to how we lose depth perception if we lose one eye, losing one ear causes us to not hear as loudly, lose our ability to localize where sounds are coming from, and makes hearing in noisy environments even more difficult. Having two hearing aids makes it easier to clearly hear speech, localize when someone calls our name or a car honks its horn, and understand conversation in noisy situations, like restaurants and social gatherings.
How long do hearing aids last?
The lifespan of a pair of hearing aids can range from 3-5 years. Just like your car, hearing aids require regular cleaning and maintenance to function. We recommend weekly maintenance on your part and come see us every 3-6 months for our 4-Step Tune Up. The better you take care of your hearing aids, the longer they are likely to last.
What’s an audiologist?
An audiologist is a doctor of hearing and balance. Audiologists can check hearing, diagnose hearing loss, sell and fit hearing aids, and diagnose dizziness and imbalance issues. They also can remove earwax, fit and map cochlear implants, recommend effective hearing protection, perform tests to check the health of your ear, and more. Audiologists are doctors, but they are not physicians, so they cannot prescribe medication.
Do hearing aids break easily?
If you take good care of your hearing aids, they are less likely to get damaged or broken. However, if an accident does happen, you’re in luck, because hearing aids come with repair and loss and damage warranties.
“My aids are working really well and I feel I've pretty well adjusted to them now and consider them a regular part of my life instead of something new and awkward .... thanks to DR. RACHEL! So, thank you also for the quality of work you do - the professionalism, yes, but also the personal touches and genuineness of service that you offer.”
— Anonymous