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Hearing aid selection
The audiologist and patient will discuss the hearing test results as well as lifestyle and listening needs. The patient will receive information about the different styles of hearing aids and different types of hearing aid technology. We review the advantages and disadvantages of each depending on the patient's listening needs and hearing loss, along with cost and maintenance issues.
Hearing aid styles from largest to smallest include behind-the-ear, in-the-ear, in-the-canal, and completely-in-the-canal. Recent "open fit" hearing aids do away with the feeling of ear occlusion -- a common complaint among hearing aid wearers. Today's hearing aids are almost all digital, enabling far more sophisticated sound processing such as directionality and noise suppression, relative to older analog aids. They are also capable of reducing or eliminating annoying feedback or "whistling" that can occur if the fit to the ear canal is not tight.
After the patient and audiologist select a hearing aid configuration, an ear impression is taken to record the exact shape of your ear. This allows the laboratory to make a custom hearing aid or earmold that will fit snugly yet comfortably. A deposit is usually collected at this visit.
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