Approximately 28.8 million U.S. adults could benefit from the use of hearing aids. The small but powerful devices help improve communication and spatial awareness, manage tinnitus symptoms and more. If you decide to begin your hearing aid treatment, you may feel overwhelmed by all the new information.
There are many different hearing aid styles and technology options you will have to choose from. Your choices will likely depend on several factors, including lifestyle and cosmetic preferences and degree of hearing loss.
To make things easier, take a look at our list of hearing aid technologies you may encounter and consider how important each of them is to your treatment.
The Hearing Aid Basics
All hearing aids have a microphone that collects sound, an amplifier or processor that raises its volume and a speaker that deposits it directly into the ear canal. Each hearing aid will also be programmed to fit your specific hearing needs. Programming will affect the device’s amplification and frequency levels to ensure it is best tuned to your type of hearing loss.
The Hearing Aid Extras
Data from the MarkeTrak 2022 survey indicated that most hearing aid owners reported greater quality-of-life benefits from their devices. Many newer hearing aids come pre-equipped with extra features to increase your quality of life, including but not limited to the following:
- Bluetooth®. Bluetooth compatibility allows your devices to pair with your smartphone, tablet, computer and more. Bluetooth is an excellent feature to request if you enjoy streaming TV or listening to music at Herban Market and Café while you sip on your favorite latte.
- Smartphone apps. Many of today’s hearing aids come with an accompanying smartphone app. A connected app allows users to adjust their settings, monitor battery life and connect with their provider when necessary.
- Masking features. Hearing aids are an excellent option for managing tinnitus symptoms. Devices equipped with masking features play white noise or amplify external sounds to help mask the internal noise of tinnitus.
- Directional microphones. Directional microphones boost sounds from the front of the wearer and suppress irrelevant background sounds. This feature helps improve speech understanding.
- Noise suppression. Noise suppression helps minimize unwanted background noise to reduce stress and increase understanding in the wearer.
These are just the starting point of the fantastic features available when you decide to begin your hearing aid treatment. For more information on the benefits and specifics of these remarkable devices, contact Charleston ENT & Allergy to schedule an appointment with one of our trusted specialists.