Services
Hearing tests
Our hearing tests are non-invasive and painless. They are performed to test your ability to hear different pitches and understand speech.
Prior to the actual tests, we will discuss your medical background, including any medications that you are taking. This is vital because some health treatments and conditions can affect your hearing.
Then, we will examine your ears using a handheld device called an otoscope. We are checking for any injuries or blockages that may affect your hearing.
Then we move on to the hearing tests. They might include:
- A test to check your eardrum flexibility to see how well it can transmit sound.
- A pure tone test that verifies how well you can hear at different sound frequencies.
- A speech recognition test to see how well you can understand speech in the presence of background noise.
We'll then discuss what the test results mean for your case, as well as potential treatment options.
Hearing Aid Fittings and Evaluations
After your hearing test, we suggest a range of hearing aids that are ideal for your hearing loss, lifestyle, and technology requirements, based on your hearing test results.
For individuals who are seeking to get hearing aids, hearing aid fitting appointments are essential. This is because this is when the hearing aids are finally going to be inserted and programmed. Our hearing experts will tailor them to suit your hearing needs, based on your audiogram results. We will also explain how to operate your new hearing aid at this point. We explain how the unit can best be inserted and removed, operated, and maintained.
This appointment is a crucial step in the process and will typically take at least an hour. It is recommended that you reserve ample time for a thorough fitting. It might also be worth taking a family member to the hearing aid to help you recall all the information that we will give you.
Tinnitus
Tinnitus is likely more common than you think. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 50 million people experience tinnitus and 20 million people live with chronic tinnitus. Tinnitus is a ringing or buzzing-like noise heard in one or both ears when no external noise is present. It can also sound like thumping that mirrors your pulse or music that you mistake for background noise. Tinnitus can often heighten sensitivity to sound and make it challenging to hear and follow conversations. Tinnitus is a symptom and not a medical condition itself. This phantom-like noise is a symptom of an underlying condition. There are nearly 200 medical conditions that produce tinnitus as a symptom. But the most common causes include hearing loss, inner ear disorders, ear obstructions, head injuries, and temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ).
Fortunately, there are effective ways that tinnitus is treated. Treatment options include: assessing for and treating hearing loss as well as tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT). The most common way hearing loss is treated is with hearing aids. These medical devices are designed to absorb, amplify, and process sound which not only maximizes hearing capacity but alleviates hearing loss symptoms like tinnitus. TRT is a specific sound therapy that involves retraining the brain to interpret tinnitus differently. If you suffer from tinnitus, these treatment options can provide long-lasting relief, helping you navigate daily life with greater ease.
Cleaning Hearing Aids
Because a portion of our hearing aids sits within our ears, sweat and earwax buildup is unavoidable. As a result cleaning hearing aids are important. Although regular maintenance of hearing aids and light home cleaning is recommended, anything more involved should be done by a professional. Hearing aids involve a lot of small components and are thus easily damaged when washed or treated improperly.
We can use specialized equipment during a professional hearing aid cleaning procedure to gently remove any buildup of earwax, sweat, dust, or dirt from your hearing aids. We will ensure that all the debris is removed safely. Hearing aid cleaning appointments are very quick most of the time and don't always require the need to leave your hearing aids in the clinic overnight. To learn more about hearing aid cleaning visit us in Seattle, WA.
Hearing Aid Reprogramming
Are your current hearing aids causing you more problems than they are solving? You might not have to replace them - instead, you could have them reprogrammed. Just because they are not meeting your needs doesn't mean they are broken. Indeed, they might only need to be reprogrammed. The majority of individuals who are dissatisfied with their hearing aids are unhappy with the programming, not the device itself.
We can reprogram hearing aids from most manufacturers using specialized programming software in our practice. We will generally adjust your hearing aid to accommodate additional hearing loss, saving you money and stopping you from purchasing a new hearing aid.
Hearing Aid Repairs
Hearing aids are intended to provide many years of useful assistance. However, daily exposure to life's rigors means that they often face issues. Regular maintenance might help keep them running well, but they will still have to be repaired from time to time.
We provide repairs for all sorts of hearing aids, not just the ones bought from our hearing practice. Different factors affect the cost of fixing a broken or damaged hearing aid: whether the hearing system is within its warranty period, the extent of damage to the device, and the cost of replacing the parts needed. It won't cost you too much under warranty. However, the repair cost can be higher if it is not under warranty or bought elsewhere.
Please contact us if you have any problems with your hearing aids. We're excited to do everything we can to get your devices working again.