Bringing Advanced Hearing Aid Technology to Watkinsville, Loganville And Lavonia, GA
Aren’t you excited to start wearing hearing aids?
Not really, right? We understand.
Nobody grows up looking forward to the day they get to buy their first pair of prescription hearing aids. In fact, you’re probably imagining those bulky, frustrating gadgets your parents or grandparents struggled with, right?
Here’s some great news!
Today’s hearing aids are nothing like the ones you’re thinking about. Advanced technology hearing aids are smaller, lighter, more discreet to wear, have greater processing power, and come with user-friendly features like rechargeable batteries and the capacity to connect them to your smartphone and other digital devices.
Myth-Busting: 6 Misconceptions about Hearing Aids
If you’re still hesitant whether hearing aids are right for you, it’s possible that your concerns are based on outdated information or misinformation. In truth, today’s hearing aids are more comfortable, quieter, and more effective at improving your hearing.
To help you see the value of advanced technology hearing aids, we’re going to bust six common hearing aid myths:
Myth: Only old people have hearing problems
Fact
Myth: Hearing aids will make me look old
Fact
The real concern behind this myth is your concern about how hearing aids will affect your appearance. Modern hearing aids are so small that they are practically invisible, and some can even be worn inside the ear.
Myth: Hearing aids cure hearing loss
Fact
Hearing aids are “aids” because they help with your hearing similar to how prescription eyeglasses help with vision challenges. They don’t cure hearing loss, but they do help you communicate better, help improve your balance, limit your rate of cognitive decline, and much more.
Myth: My primary physician will tell me if I have a hearing loss
Fact
Sadly, less than 1 out of 15 primary physicians check for hearing loss during a physical exam. In addition, most people with a hearing loss have no hearing challenges in a quiet setting like a doctor’s office, so most of them have no idea you are struggling with a hearing loss.
Myth: I only need to wear one hearing aid
Fact
You may think that your “good ear” hears just fine, but the majority of people who have a hearing loss in one ear have it in both ears. Additionally, you hear better with both ears just like you see better with both eyes. Binaural (two-eared) hearing aids offer the best hearing results by helping you localize sounds so you can hear better in a noisy environment.
Myth: I can save money by buying hearing aids OTC or online
Fact
You might buy a pair of reading glasses over the counter or online, but you would never think of buying prescription glasses that way. Hearing aids are the same. OTC and online hearing aids might help when your hearing loss is mild, but for more advanced hearing challenges, you’ll need prescription hearing aids.
The Process of Selecting the Right Hearing Aid for You
Many options are available when choosing to correct your hearing loss. With our education of how your ears and brain work as well as our many years of combined clinical experience helping individuals just like you, our team is ready to walk beside you on your journey to better hearing.
We see you as an individual. We will assess your lifestyle and communication struggles to find the perfect solution for you. Our patient centered approach combines comprehensive audiological evaluations with the latest technology and equipment.
We’re here to support you as you strive to recover conversations with friends and family by using treatment options and good communication strategies. Our passion is helping you hear better so you can enjoy your passions, too.
To ensure that you’re satisfied with your progress, we start you out right by helping you choose the right hearing aids by considering:
- The amount of processing power needed to address your level of hearing loss
- Your manual dexterity and visual capabilities to handle your device
- Your budget limitations (including insurance)
- Your wearing discretion and cosmetic concerns
- Any skin sensitivities you might have
- Any anatomical or medical (oxygen cannula, eyeglasses, etc.) considerations
To help you choose the hearing aid that best fits you, we partner with several hearing aid manufacturers, including:
Fitting Your Hearing Device
The process of fitting your hearing device involves custom earmolds, but the primary focus is on properly programming your hearing aids to meet your needs. When you are fit with your devices for the first time, we take you step by step over a series of appointments to make sure you are confident and successful with your hearing aids.
Because proper fitting is so important, we provide you with five assurances:
- Our doctors of audiology use a scientific verification system that helps to create a prescription for your specific hearing loss within the manufacturer’s sophisticated software that allows us to adjust your devices for your comfort.
- Our audiologists will make recommendations for the amplification device that best fits your specific hearing loss and lifestyle.
- Our clinics have technology that can support some of the most severe hearing losses and support some of the most active lifestyles.
- Our amplification devices also have accessory options that can maximize your ability to hear in a multitude of different environments, including ones with excessive background noise.
- Our audiologists go through extensive training with the devices to make sure you get the most benefit possible with amplification.
Real Ear Measurement
When correcting your hearing loss, it is important that the prescription of your device is verified. Prescriptions are verified through the process of real ear measurement, or speech mapping.
Real ear measurement checks the prescriptive targets we are trying to achieve to properly correct your hearing loss. Two people with the same hearing loss will need different adjustments based on the anatomy of their ears and how their brain processes sound.
Knowing the science behind your hearing loss and what your brain needs is only part of the process; every ear is sized and shaped differently, which can impact how much or little of sound is being produced by the hearing device.
This measurement considers your ear anatomy to better fine tune your devices to you with maximum benefit.
Hearing Aid Styles
Receiver-in-the Ear (RITE)
This is a small and discreet device that fits at the top of your ear with a thin electronic wire that travels down and into your ear canal. This option fits most losses and is easily customizable to your specific needs.
They come in various colors to match hair colors and skin tones. This style makes the process easy and accessible if a patient’s hearing were to change requiring stronger amplification.
Behind-the-Ear (BTE)
In-the-Ear/Canal Style Hearing Aids
Full Shell or In-the-Ear (ITE)
In-the-Canal (ITC)
Completely-in-the-Canal (CIC)
Invisible-in-the-Canal (IIC)
Receiver-in-the-Ear (RITE)
Got Questions?
What are prescription hearing aids?
How do prescription hearing aids differ from over-the-counter hearing devices?
How do I know if I need prescription hearing aids?
If you are struggling with your hearing, your family and friends may be saying to you “Get your ears checked.” What’s going on?
If you’re struggling to communicate with others, unable to keep up with your typical lifestyle, and frustrated with trying to enjoy conversation in a noisy restaurant or at a social event, you’re probably a good candidate for prescription hearing aids.
Are prescription hearing aids covered by insurance?
How long does it take to get accustomed to wearing prescription hearing aids?
Each person’s adjustment experience is unique. The newly amplified sounds are a shock to your central auditory system, requiring time for your brain to acclimate and relearn how to process amplified sound stimuli.
You will probably adjust within a few weeks, thanks to coping strategies, ongoing adjustments, and support by your hearing care provider, which is much shorter than the typical 60-day trial period offered by manufacturers.
Can prescription hearing aids be adjusted as my hearing changes?
Yes. Even after you start wearing hearing aids, we will continue to test your hearing on a regular basis to make sure your hearing aids provide the assistance you need.
Can I use prescription hearing aids with other electronic devices?
Schedule a Hearing Evaluation
In our modern culture, it’s easy to self-diagnose and self-treat your hearing loss, and there is no shortage of online and OTC hearing aid dispensers. However, the wrong device or a poorly programmed device can do more harm than good.
Rather than saving a buck on a critical health need, your safer option is to allow Hearing + Balance Clinics to conduct a professional hearing evaluation, guide you through the selection process, and provide the necessary ongoing support to ensure that you get the results you hope for.
To start the process, you can submit the adjacent form to schedule a hearing evaluation, and a member of our team will call you back to assist you.
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