Do I need hearing aids?

If you are asking the question, you probably do, but let’s talk a little about hearing loss and how hearing aids work.

Most of us are born with normal hearing (unless we have a congenital-present at birth-hearing loss). At 40-45 years of age, hearing starts to decline in the high frequency (pitch) range making conversation more difficult to understand, especially in background noise. Your spouse, children, or grandchildren really are not mumbling! Your hearing has gotten worse!

Generally if you can hear and understand speech in relative quiet surroundings but have difficulty hearing clearly over the phone or need the TV turned up a bit louder than others in your home, you may only need an amplifier on your phone or TV.

But if you have to strain to hear conversation in relative quiet, often misinterpret what people say and have trouble on the phone or need the TV up louder, hearing aids may be required to make life easier for you and those around you.

How do hearing aids work?

At the most basic level hearing aids are amplifiers of sound. They contain a microphone connected to an amplifier which is connected to a miniature loudspeaker. All of this is contained in a plastic shell that’s custom fitted to your ear.

If your hearing needs are very basic (need to hear one on one conversations in quiet places only), low cost hearing aids will usually work well. The more advanced hearing aids allow for automatic loudness correction, can be fine tuned so only certain frequencies (pitches) are amplified and have customized listening programs for music, sports or restaurant/crowds. These are more expensive. Between these two extremes are mid level hearing aids which have many of the advanced features but may not be as highly adjustable. They are a great value for the money and most people do very well with them. Nearly all of our hearing aids are digital and programmed in order to amplify each frequency, to the appropriate amount of your hearing loss.

What about background noise?

As we age, our ability to hear clearly in noisy places becomes less certain. Even for persons with normal hearing, trying to understand speech in a noisy restaurant can be challenging. If you have a hearing loss and wear hearing aids, the problem is made even worse because even the best hearing aids need a little help. Two accessories are scientifically proven to help people hear speech better when excessive background noise is present: Directional Microphones which can be added as an extra cost option to most hearing aids and FM wireless microphone/receiver systems can be used in special situations. You can learn more about these in the above section on batteries and accessories.

Learn about LACE.

Where do I begin?

The first step is a hearing test (audiogram) at our office. You may call for an appointment at 404-943-0900. The hearing test will reveal which sounds you can and cannot hear, and will test your ability to understand speech in background noise. It will also reveal if your hearing loss can be helped by medical or surgical means. In reality, 9 out of 10 people with a hearing loss need hearing aids since most cannot be helped with medication or with surgery. Your hearing test results will be explained in detail and if you can be helped with hearing aids, we’ll inform you of the options to compensate for the loss of hearing. We’ll also provide information on alternatives to hearing aids if that’s appropriate for you (such as amplifiers for the television: “TV ears” or amplified telephones).

Can you tell me more about hearing aid styles?

Hearing aids come in many styles from those that fit completely in the canal (CIC) and are essentially invisible to others, to the newest receiver in the canal (RIC) open fit style. The style and model (circuit) most appropriate for you depends on your lifestyle (what things do you want to be able to hear again) and appearance (what looks best on you). These factors will affect cost. Our prices range from $900-$2900 per hearing aid. Most people will need 2 hearing aids for best sound quality and speech recognition ability.

For more information see: Types of Hearing Aids >>

Why can’t I buy just one hearing aid?

Well you can, but it’s a little like buying one eyeglass. You’ll be able to see, but not very well. Your ears like your eyes were meant to work together. Just as most people have vision loss in both eyes, most people have hearing loss in both ears. If you correct one ear only, sound quality will be poorer, you won’t be able to tell which direction sound is coming from and you won’t hear as well in noisy places. In addition, you’ll have to turn your hearing aid up louder.

How do I pay for the hearing aids?

At Advanced Ear Nose and Throat Associates, a deposit of 50% of the total cost is required at the time of ordering. Payment can be made with cash, check or credit card (American Express, Visa, Mastercard, or Discover). The balance is paid on delivery of the hearing aids.

Does insurance cover hearing aids?

In most cases, no. Medicare, in particular does not pay for hearing aids. There are some insurance plans that offer a hearing aid benefit. You should check with your particular carrier to verify coverage.

What if the hearing aids don’t help?

In the rare case where hearing aids do not improve your ability to hear and understand, your purchase price will be refunded if the aids are returned within 30 days of the fitting. An administrative fee of $225 per hearing aid plus any restocking charge assessed by the manufacturer will be deducted from the refund.

How do I make an appointment?

To make an appointment you can call us at 404-943-0900. Our office hours are 8:30 am to 12:00 and 1:00pm to 5:00 pm. We look forward to seeing you.