If you have hearing aids but you’re still having difficulty hearing, your hearing aids might require professional maintenance.
You take good care of your hearing aids. You baby them. Cleaning them every day, you make certain they are snug on their charger when you go to sleep.
That’s why it’s so irritating that, abruptly and distressingly, your hearing aids are no longer working the way they should. The good news is, troubleshooting the issue is pretty easy. Keep in mind: preventing damage is your first job (or you might have to get new ones).
Troubleshooting Your Hearing Aid
Every design of hearing aid is different so use your owner manual for troubleshooting and maintenance. On most models, these things can be checked:
- Check for visible damage: Check if there are any visible cracks or loose components around the shell of your hearing aid. Cracks could allow moisture in and may be a sign of further damage.
- Keep your microphone clear: Look for anything obstructing the microphone of your hearing aid. An obstructed microphone can cause feedback or can cause your hearing aids to sound silent or broken.
- Wax buildup: Do a visual inspection of your hearing aid to make sure that there is no wax accumulation interfering with standard functionality. Wax builds up quickly so even if you have a routine cleaning schedule you still need to pay attention to this.
- Check your battery: Even if you’re sure your hearing aids spent the night on the charger, you’ll want to double-check the battery power. Even rechargeable batteries need to be replaced eventually and sometimes you may not have them inserted fully.
Each of these problems will have its own solution so consult your owner’s manual. Self maintenance will be possible in certain cases. (Your owner’s manual is the best place to begin.)
Does my Hearing Aid require servicing – How Can I Tell?
Your hearing aid will probably require professional repair if you keep having issues with it after doing these basic maintenance duties. That might not always sound appealing, let’s be honest, you rely on your hearing aid for daily communication (not to mention dinners with your family, keeping up to date with your favorite Netflix series, etc).
However, it’s worth pointing out that “repair” doesn’t always translate into “mail your hearing aids in” for service and wait several weeks. In some cases, we can repair it while you wait.
So in those cases, you will be able to get your hearing aid back before the day’s end (this is why it’s a good idea to bring your hearing aid in so we can determine the damage).
There are still some cases where such rapid repair is not feasible. And on those occasions, you may find yourself in need of a backup pair of hearing aids. So if you’ve got an old pair collecting dust, ask us whether they will serve on a temporary basis. We might even have some we can let you use while you wait.
Don’t Put Off Getting Help For Your Hearing Aids
It’s necessary to have your hearing aids serviced as soon as you experience any falter or fading of the sound quality.
If you do this you will be more likely to avoid any downtime. Your overall health and your mental health are affected by untreated hearing loss. An even more significant worry is that your hearing will get worse as your hearing aids sit ignored in a drawer.
The ideal way to keep your hearing healthy is to keep those hearing aids functioning. Keeping them clean and charged and if necessary, bringing them in for maintenance is the easiest way to do that.