FAQS

Seventy-five percent of the speech information in English is found in the high-frequency consonant sounds. The remaining 25 percent is made up of vowels in the low and mid-frequencies. Since most acquired hearing loss is in the high frequency regions, it stands to reason that one could hear a voice by hearing the vowel sounds, yet still be unable to understand because the consonants are not heard.

Whether it will worsen depends on what has caused your hearing loss. If your loss is due to a condition such as otosclerosis, diabetes, kidney disease or high blood pressure, it likely will get worse. However, seventy percent of hearing aid users without those conditions have their hearing stabilize once they are fitted and use their instruments on a regular basis. We recommend that you have your hearing evaluated every year.

There is no way to stop the ringing (tinnitus) that you experience. However, your hearing aids can provide some relief. They increase the soft sounds in your listening environment. When you hear more soft sounds, you’ll experience less tinnitus because the soft sounds will compete with and overshadow the tinnitus.

Audiologists are trained to identify abnormalities and medical conditions of the ear. They do not treat medical conditions. If a visual inspection (otoscopy) and/or the hearing examination results suggest that a medical condition exists, the audiologist will make a referral to an ear, nose and throat specialist or back to the referring physician.

If no conditions are present that warrant a referral, you can feel assured that there would be little gained by seeing a doctor.

The simple answer is they all make the best products AND none of them make the best products. We strive to ensure that our patients achieve a better quality of life through improved hearing. At our facility, all leading brands of hearing aids are available in every style and size, including the latest digital and completely-in-the-canal hearing aids. A complete selection of budget-friendly digital models is also available.

After a thorough hearing evaluation, an individual treatment plan is developed to address each patient’s unique hearing loss, lifestyle and preferences. We prescribe specific makes, models and special circuits to maximize hearing capabilities. Our comprehensive programs include extensive follow-up, counselling, testing and on-site servicing.

Disposable hearing aids are inferior products because they do not address the unique needs of your hearing impairment. They are produced with identical circuits, so everybody gets the same correction regardless of the degree of hearing loss. These aids are uncomfortable, will whistle and often fall out of your ear with any head or jaw movement. For these reasons, you should not purchase disposable hearing aids.

Digital hearing aid circuits have been designed to differentiate whether a sound is speech or noise. The hearing aid microprocessor automatically increases the speech signals it detects and, likewise, decreases the level of the background noises it senses. So, speech becomes clearer without increasing noise.

We recommend that you avoid sleeping with your hearing aids. You might break them or lose them in the bedding.

If your hearing aids are four years or older, it may be time to consider purchasing new units. Repairing your old instruments will restore their original function but never match the performance of current technology. If you decide to purchase new instruments, we recommend that you have your old units repaired for use as back-ups in the event you lose or damage the new ones.

If you have purchased hearing aids made after 2009, your products have a water repelling feature called nanocoating. This process is used in microelectronic circuitry throughout the world. Hearing aids made before 2009 do not have nanocoating, so extra care should be taken when near water.

The use of premium batteries is essential to the performance of all hearing aids. Often, lower quality batteries are weak or dead in the package. Non-premium batteries can also have a reduced thickness that can cause your hearing aids to work intermittently or not at all.

Hearing aid batteries are air-activated and should be stored in a fairly dry environment. Avoid storing batteries in humid or hot environments, such as bathrooms or the glovebox of your car. Never store them in a refrigerator or freezer. Cold, dry air will separate the seal and cause the battery to discharge. A dresser drawer or nightstand is a good location.