- Choosing the Right Prescription Hearing Aids: Why Quality Matters - August 23, 2023
When it comes to maintaining your ear health, choosing the right hearing aid for your individual needs is always the wise decision. Hearing aids are designed and adjusted to effectively address the severity and type of hearing loss you may be experiencing. It’s also essential to obtain quality hearing aids fit by an audiologist to ensure your ears receive the best possible care.
Why Go for Quality Hearing Aids?
Investing in quality hearing aids is essential to your hearing health because of the numerous advantages they offer. They can help alleviate any type of hearing loss, whether mild or severe. High-quality hearing aids can also provide improved sound quality and background noise reduction. Plus, prescription hearing aids have greater flexibility regarding design and features for optimal fit and personal preferences.
Optional Features That Can Help Improve Your Experience
Since prescription hearing aids are customized to address your specific hearing loss, you can also have them equipped with additional features to improve your hearing in certain situations. Some of the extra features that people choose include the following:
- Noise Reduction – Although all hearing aids have some amount of noise reduction built into the device, the amount may vary between devices. Some hearing aids may even have wind noise reduction for when you’re out and about.
- Bluetooth Connectivity – Many hearing aids today can now wirelessly connect to other devices like phones and computers, all thanks to their Bluetooth connectivity function. This can be a great feature to have, especially if you frequently enjoy streaming phone calls, music, podcasts, audiobooks, and more.
- Rechargeable Batteries – Most hearing aids have rechargeable batteries, which means all you have to do is dock them in a charger. This eliminates the need to stock up on button batteries and ensures that you won’t randomly lose the ability to hear if the battery dies.
- Directional Microphones – Just as the name suggests, directional microphones have the ability to selectively pick up sounds from a specific direction. This helps enhance your ability to focus on speech and understand conversations, even in very noisy environments like restaurants.
What To Do Before You Buy Prescription Hearing Aids
Buying quality prescription hearing aids isn’t as simple as ordering them online. There are a few things you must do before you find the one you need:
- Take a Hearing Test – If you think you’re experiencing any degree of hearing loss, it’s essential to have your hearing accurately assessed by an expert. Having your hearing tested may also give insight into other ear-related problems you might not be aware of, such as an ear infection or excessive ear wax.
- Have a Discussion With a Reputable Audiologist – Since there are many hearing aid types available in the market, your audiologist will be the one who can recommend which design to best help you. You can also ask them about the devices’ trial period.
- Consider Your Long-Term Needs – Hearing aids are a long-term investment. As such, it’s important for you to consider how your hearing can change over time. When talking to your audiologist, it’s recommended to ask how the hearing aids can be adjusted to appropriately fit your hearing over the years.
- Double-Check the Warranty – Warranties are important because they cover damaged or lost hearing aids. Often, they will cover you for a year, while other models may come with three-year warranties. It’s best to talk about this matter with your audiologist when you first get the hearing aids.
- Beware of Scam Claims – You should know that although hearing aids are great devices that can help improve your hearing, they cannot return your hearing to how it was before. That’s why you should be wary of advertisements or hearing aid dispensers that claim your hearing can be “fixed.”
Professional Support and Follow-Up Care
When you get a pair of prescription hearing aids, you’ll be able to receive professional support from your audiologist. They can advise you on how to maintain and use your hearing aids to make them last you a long time. On top of that, if you want to be absolutely sure that they’re well-maintained, you can schedule an appointment with your audiologist for comprehensive cleanings.
An audiologist’s support doesn’t stop there. To ensure that your devices still function well or if you need them to be adjusted, audiologists can provide you with follow-up care. This includes tune-ups and checkups later on. That way, if you ever encounter any issues with your hearing aids, they can be addressed as soon as possible.
At The Hearing Doctor, we can help you select the right pair of prescription hearing aids for your condition. Talk to our team of professional audiologists if you need help with hearing aid costs. We have financing options available that you can choose from.