For many people, hearing aids are tools that bridge the gap to easy and clearer communication, and a more enriching quality of life. Like any device you use every day, proper hearing aid care and maintenance are required to keep them in tip-top shape for years to come. Knowing when your devices need to be repaired and when it’s time to replace them is essential to ensure optimal hearing and auditory health for years to come. In this guide, we explore key factors that can influence whether you should repair or replace your hearing aids, including routine issues that can be fixed and practical reasons for getting new devices.
Common Hearing Aid Repairs
It’s important to keep an eye out for any possible signs of excessive wear or changes in the functionality of your hearing aids, and to contact your specialist at the first sign of possible damage. In most cases, your specialist will be able to complete any required hearing aid repairs in-house. For complex issues or serious damage, your hearing specialist will coordinate with the manufacturer on your behalf to have them complete the repairs.
Cosmetic Damage
If your hearing aids have surface-level damage like scratches or cracks in the casing, it’s important to let your specialist know as soon as possible. While cosmetic issues like this may seem to only affect the way your hearing aids look, visible damage can escalate to functional damage if left unattended.
Even if your hearing aids are still working properly, it’s important to have your care specialist examine your devices to determine if repair is required or not. Your provider will be able to assess and repair any minor surface damage in-house quickly and effectively ensuring the longevity of your devices.
Battery Issues
Batteries are the power source of any hearing aid, and if they aren’t working properly, your devices won’t either. Thankfully, many of the most common hearing aid battery issues can be repaired in-house at your hearing clinic:
- Battery doesn’t hold charge: Your hearing aids lose power quickly, even with a full charge or with new batteries.
- Device won’t turn on: Your devices won’t power up, even if you’ve recently replaced the battery or charged them.
- Inconsistent performance: They turn on and off sporadically, or function irregularly.
- Excessive battery replacement: The batteries need replacing more frequently than usual, indicating a possible power drainage issue.
- Physical damage to the battery compartment: Cracks or deformities in the battery compartment may affect functionality.
- Changes in sound quality: Even after replacing the battery, you notice diminished or distorted sound quality.
All these issues can impact the functionality of your hearing aids, lessening the quality of sound or even preventing them from working altogether. If you experience any issues with your hearing aid batteries, contact your hearing care specialist as soon as possible.
Whistling Sound (Feedback Loop)
Hearing a high-pitched whistling sound while wearing your hearing aids is an issue known as feedback. This sound is often compared to the screeching noise you might hear from a microphone when it gets too close to a speaker.
Feedback is typically caused by the hearing aid microphone picking up a sound coming through the speaker of the hearing device. This creates a loop of sound that manifests as high-pitched whistling. Several factors can contribute to a feedback loop:
- Improper fit: If your hearing aid doesn’t fit snugly in your ear, this often causes sound to leak out and re-enter the microphone.
- Earwax buildup: Earwax buildup can block sound from properly entering the ear canal, causing it to escape back into the microphone.
- Damaged or worn components: Over time, daily wear and tear can degrade or damage the tubing, earmolds, and other components necessary for the function of your hearing aids. This can alter the path of sound transmission, resulting in feedback.
Whatever the cause, your care specialist will be able to easily assess the problem and ensure your hearing aids receive the repairs they need to be in perfect working order once again.
Reasons to Replace Your Hearing Aids
While many common hearing aid issues can be repaired, no piece of technology is indestructible, especially against the test of time, so sometimes replacement is necessary. If your hearing aids provide the best hearing loss solution for your needs, and you generally enjoy wearing them, there is no need to replace your devices if you don’t want to. However, if you’re experiencing persistent issues with your devices, or any of the following reasons outlined below, it’s likely time to replace your hearing aids.
Your Hearing Aids are Lost or Damaged Beyond Repair
When it comes to your health and well-being, putting off or waiting to get care can be incredibly detrimental. The same is true for your hearing health. If you lose your hearing aids or damage them beyond repair, it’s important to get them replaced in a timely manner.
Delaying replacement may lead to complications associated with your hearing loss, potentially affecting your auditory health. Timely replacement not only restores effective hearing assistance and communication but also contributes to your overall well-being and quality of life.
Your Hearing Has Changed
If you’ve noticed any changes in your hearing, it could indicate that your hearing aids are no longer able to meet your specific needs. If your hearing loss has progressed, your existing hearing aids may no longer provide the optimal level of assistance required to address your level of hearing loss.
Keeping up with ongoing hearing care and annual hearing exam services will help you and your specialist monitor your hearing health, so you always have the best treatment available for your needs.
You Experience Frequent Issues with Your Devices
Like all electronics, hearing aids have a lifespan, and as they get older, their performance may decline. If you notice a significant decrease in the effectiveness of your current hearing aids, it may be a sign that they are reaching the end of their functional life, and it’s time to get new ones.
Hearing aids usually last up to 5 years, so if they are older and seem to be on their way out, it’s probably worth it to replace them sooner, rather than later.
You Aren’t Hearing as Well as You Should Be
While your hearing aids may have been the best technology available when you purchased them, the one constant about technology is that it is ever-changing and evolving. The same is true with hearing aid technology, with each evolution focused on helping the patient hear more clearly and better in background noise. As such, your hearing care professional should be able to demonstrate to you any new technology that could help you to hear better than you are with your current hearing aids.
Your hearing aids may still be in good working order; however, if new technology has emerged that can help sound to be clearer and significantly help you hear better, you and your professional may decide it is worth investing in new technology and possibly trading in your current aids or keeping them as a back-up pair.
Contact Pattillo Balance & Hearing Center Today for Hearing Aid Repair in Montgomery
Issues with your hearing aids can be a frustrating experience that can interfere with your daily routine and quality of life. No matter the problem, the hearing care specialists at Pattillo Balance & Hearing Center are here to help. Our team of dedicated professionals is not only passionate about their work but also committed to providing top-notch hearing aid repair services to our valued patients.
If you require hearing aid repair in Montgomery, contact us today.