Hearing Aids

The following are some frequently asked questions about hearing aids that you might have yourself. Review them at your leisure and feel free to contact us with any clarifications or additional questions you may have.

Hearing Aid Benefits

If you are hearing impaired, you will benefit from wearing hearing aids, period. How much benefit will depend on many factors.

  • How long you waited before you did something about your problem.
  • How much hearing you have left (residual hearing).
  • How much your speech discrimination (word recognition ability) has been affected.
  • Your overall health: diabetes, stroke, kidney disease.
  • How well you adapt to change.

Your hearing loss didn’t happen overnight. It may take a while to get the maximum benefit from your hearing aids.

The benefits you can expect to get out of hearing aids are limitless, but here are the more common benefits many patients experience

  • You will hear sounds that you haven’t heard in years.
  • You will hear speech over the phone with more clarity.
  • You will hear speech in person more clearly.
  • You will perceive sounds as less muffled.
  • You will be able to communicate with family and friends more easily.
  • You will be able to communicate in noisy environments such as restaurants.

Choosing the right hearing professional is the most important decision a hearing impaired person can make when they’re finally ready to do something about their hearing problem. The correct hearing aid recommendation and fitting is highly dependent on the judgment and skill of the professional selecting the instrument.

The hearing aids we select for you are based on the results of the test, your budget, your lifestyle and a host of other factors. We promise to explain everything to you, without using a bunch of technical terms that are designed to confuse you further.

What is a hearing aid?

A hearing aid is a small electronic device that you wear in or behind your ear. It makes some sounds louder so that a person with hearing loss can listen, communicate, and participate more fully in daily activities. A hearing aid can help people hear more in both quiet and in noisy situations.

What is a hearing aid?

Hearing aids come in all different shapes and sizes. Many factors will determine which style your audiologist will recommend for your individual hearing needs. Below are a list of all the different hearing aid types currently available. Feel free to review them and request further information on the type you would prefer during your appointment with an audiologist. If you have questions prior to seeing an audiologist you may find some of your answers on our Hearing Aids FAQ page.

Invisible-In-Canal (IIC)

Invisible-In-Canal (IIC) hearing aids are invisible when worn. This type of hearing aid sits deep in the ear canal ensuring sound travels quickly and accurately to your eardrum. These invisible hearing aids are designed for daily removal.

  • 100% invisible when worn
  • Hear clearly in noise
  • Sculpted for your ear canal
  • Highest definition sound quality
  • Designed for daily removal

Extended Wear (EW)

Extended Wear hearing aids can be worn up to 120 days 24 hours a day. This type of hearing aid sits deep in the ear canal ensuring sound travels quickly and accurately to your eardrum.

  • Wear for up to 120 days straight
  • 100% invisible when worn
  • Hear clearly in noise
  • Sculpted for your ear canal
  • Highest definition sound quality
  • Must be changed out by a trained Audiologist, Hearing Aid Equipment Specialist or Ear, Nose Throat Physician.

Completely-In-Canal (CIC)

Extended Wear hearing aids can be worn up to 120 days 24 hours a day. This type of hearing aid sits deep in the ear canal ensuring sound travels quickly and accurately to your eardrum.

  • Wear for up to 120 days straight
  • 100% invisible when worn
  • Hear clearly in noise
  • Sculpted for your ear canal
  • Highest definition sound quality
  • Must be changed out by a trained Audiologist, Hearing Aid Equipment Specialist or Ear, Nose Throat Physician.

In-The-Canal (ITC)

In-the-canal (ITC) hearing aids are smaller than the ITE style and are also custom made to fit the size and shape of your ear canal.

  • Barely visible in the ear
  • Easy to use with the telephone
  • May not fit well in small ears

In-The-Ear (ITE)

In-The-Ear (ITE) hearing aids are custom-made and fit comfortably inside the ear.

  • Easy to insert into the ear because of its larger size
  • Easy-to-operate larger features such as volume control
  • Used to help mild to severe hearing loss

Behind-The-Ear (BTE)

Behind-The-Ear (BTE) hearing aids sit behind the ear, it amplifies sound and passes the sound down a tube and into customized earmold which fits in your ear.

  • Typically offers more power than a custom-made hearing aid
  • Robust for active wearers
  • Suitable for all degrees of hearing loss
  • Large, easy-to-use hearing aids that are very reliable

Mini Behind-the-Ear (miniBTE)

Mini Behind-the-Ear (Mini-BTE) hearing aids are very similar to the Behind-the-Ear style, but is much smaller and less noticeable. This style holds the electronics in a slim case that hooks over the top of the ear and hides behind the top of the ear, the same place where eyeglasses rest. A clear narrow tube follows the front of the ear and carries sound to the tiny ear bud, which sits unnoticeable in the ear canal.

  • Allows natural sounds to enter the ear canal
  • Can be selected, programmed and fit in a single visit
  • Very discreet and appealing to people with cosmetic concerns
  • Does not require custom molding

Receiver-In-Canal (RIC)

Receiver-In-Canal (RIC) or “Open-Ear” hearing aids are the newest design to reduce or eliminate that echo or plugged up feeling wearers can sometimes experience (referred to as the occlusion effect). They are easy to wear and barely noticeable.

  • Fits a large range of hearing loss
  • Offers the greatest flexibility in programming
  • Water resistant and very durable

We offer a wide selection of major hearing aid brands to give you a variety of options.

Phonak Hearing Aids

Phonak has the right hearing aid for you – regardless of your type of hearing loss, your lifestyle, your personal preferences, your age or your budget. Keep Reading →

Lyric Hearing Aids

We are proud to be one of the select offices in the United States to offer Lyric Hearing. Lyric was featured on Good Morning America as a new hearing technology that is not only tiny and invisible, but also delivers exceptional sound quality without daily hassles. Keep Reading →

Signia

Signia has helped people with hearing loss for more than 130 years and is the largest, most innovative manufacturer of hearing instruments in the world. In fact, one out of every four hearing aids being used worldwide is a Signia. Signia hearing products help hearing care providers deliver personalized hearing solutions to their patients—enabling them to lead richer, fuller lives. Keep Reading →

Oticon Hearing Aids

At Oticon Inc., our goal is to help people with hearing loss fulfill their potential while living the life they choose – with the hearing they have.To achieve this goal, we strive to be the leader in high performance hearing solutions.Keep Reading →

Hearing aid accessories add functionality to your hearing aids making the use of them even more convenient to fit your lifestyle. Here are some of the accessories we offer to enhance the use of your hearing aids.

Wireless Microphones

With today’s advanced digital hearing aid technology, specialty microphones can be paired compatible hearing aids wirelessly. These microphones allow for enhanced hearing in situations the microphone is designed to overcome.

Phonak Roger Pen

Roger Pen is a cutting-edge wireless microphone that enables people with hearing loss to hear and understand more speech in loud noise and over distance.

For Use In:

  • loud noise
  • over distance
  • when there are several speakers.

Phonak Roger EasyPen

The Roger EasyPen is an exciting product for clients who desire ultimate simplicity with full Roger performance and do not need Bluetooth functionality or manual microphone control.

Phonak RemoteMic

Phonak RemoteMic is a wireless microphone for one-on-one conversations over distance. The RemoteMic is clipped onto the speaker’s clothing. Combined with Phonak ComPilot or ComPilot Air II, it transmits the speaker’s voice directly to both hearing aids over a distance of up to 20 meters (66 ft).

  • Listening to a distant speaker
  • In smaller meetings

Multimedia Links

Multimedia links are designed to connect audio from sound sources such as televisions and stereos to your hearing aids. Many of multimedia links are capable of doing this wirelessly.

Phones

Phonak EasyCall

Phonak EasyCall connects hearing aids wirelessly with any Bluetooth-enabled cell phone. It binaurally streams the phone call directly to the hearing aids for maximum speech understanding.

Phonak DECT home phone

Phonak DECT cordless phone is easy to use and designed for people with hearing loss. It is also suitable for people without hearing loss and can be used like a regular cordless phone. The main benefit is the direct binaural streaming to both hearing aids for maximum speech understanding.

Usage:

  • Phone calls at home and in small offices.
  • Can also be used by family members.
Bundled (Classic Model) Unbundled (HCC Model)
Hearing Aid Cost Starting cost includes hearing aid price, professional fitting fee; and cost of future appointments, repairs, service, and parts. Length and terms of service package determined by provider. Increases starting cost significantly as the hearing aid mark up is entirely based on the estimated cost of future services. Cost only includes itemized hearing aid price and professional fitting fee. Lowers starting cost.
Mobility of service “Pre-paid” services are limited to the dispensing clinic. Service plan does not roll over should patient change provider. Services can be provided by any audiologist as they have not been “pre-paid.” Conducive for traveling.
Cost of routine maintenance Maintenance costs usually included in starting cost of original purchase, dependent on terms of service plan. Maintenance costs only charged at time of service. Patient pays when services are provided.
Rationale One-time fee for hearing aids and future services. Transparent billing and lower costs over time. Fee-for-service billing allows the patient to know the value of each provided service.

The cost of a hearing aid is determined by the complexity of its computer chip. Top-of-the-line hearing aids have the most advanced computer processing and thus are more expensive. However, even entry-level hearing aids can greatly improve one’s hearing and thus quality of life. In many listening environments, there is no functional difference between top-of-the-line and entry-level devices. That’s why we offer excellent low-cost options with reduced fitting fees. The initial programming and fitting of the hearing aids is identical to the service provided for top-of-the-line devices. Follow up visits are provided fee-for-service. With hearing aids available as low as $325 a device, everyone can experience the benefits of improved communication.

Context matters when choosing a hearing healthcare setting. In many cases, hearing aids are sold as a consumer product in a retail setting. One can expect a sales focus in a retail setting, as the hearing aids become the number one commodity.

Context matters when choosing a hearing healthcare setting. In many cases, hearing aids are sold as a consumer product in a retail setting. One can expect a sales focus in a retail setting, as the hearing aids become the number one commodity.

Contact Us

Send Us an Email

Office Hours

Our Regular Schedule

Total Hearing Solutions

Monday:

8:30 pm-4:30 pm

Tuesday:

8:30 am-4:30 pm

Wednesday:

9:30 am-4:30 pm

Thursday:

8:30 am-4:30 pm

Friday:

8:30 am-4:30 pm

Saturday:

Closed

Sunday:

Closed


Walk-in hours:
Mon 1:30pm – 4:30pm, Wed 12pm – 3pm, Fri 8:30am – 11:30am

When you arrive for Walk-Ins, please text HERE to 317-705-2700