You take care of your hearing aids. When you go to sleep, you always put them comfortably on the charger and you clean them every day.
But you get pretty distressed when your hearing aids abruptly stop working the way they used to. There are a few things you can do to troubleshoot the issue, thankfully. Not doing any additional damage is your top priority so you won’t need to replace them.
Hearing aid troubleshooting
Naturally, when you first got your nice new hearing aids, you made a point of storing the owner’s manual in a safe spot. You’ll want to take it out so you can use it for troubleshooting and, potentially, maintenance. Following your owner’s manual is important because every model of hearing aid is different.
Here are some things you can check on most models:
- 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 broken or silent.
- Wax buildup: Be certain that there is no wax on your hearing aid by giving it a visual check. Wax can accumulate quickly even if you clean your hearing aids regularly so make sure you double check.
- Look for noticeable damage: Do you notice any visible cracks or loose components around the shell of your hearing aid? If you discover cracks, it could suggest that moisture is getting in and there might be more extensive damage.
- Check your battery: You’ll still want to check the battery power even if you had your hearing aids on the charger overnight. If your hearing aid has replaceable batteries, it might not be a bad plan to check if those batteries are correctly inserted or if a new one fixes the issue.
Once again you can find out how to address each of these issues by consulting your owner’s manual. Self-maintenance is sometimes possible.
How can I tell when my hearing aid requires repair?
If your hearing aid continues to malfunction after you have performed basic maintenance and troubleshooting, it’s likely that your hearing aid will have to be professionally repaired. That might not always sound desirable, after all, you depend on your hearing aid for daily communication (not to mention dinners with your family, keeping up to date with your favorite Netflix series, and so on).
You won’t necessarily be without your hearing aid for lengthy periods of time just because it needs to be serviced. In some instances, we can fix your hearing aid in office while you wait.
Or, you’ll be able to take your hearing aids in for professional assistance and have them back in just a few hours (this, obviously, depends on the degree of the damage, all the more reason to bring your devices in for repair as soon as possible).
There are still some instances where such fast repair isn’t possible. A backup set of hearing aids may be needed in these cases. So if you have an old pair lying around, ask whether they will serve temporarily. Or it’s possible that we have a loaner pair you can borrow.
Don’t wait to get assistance with your hearing aids
It’s essential to have your hearing aid assessed and repaired if you begin to notice the audio quality is beginning to fail.
Any degree of downtime needs to be avoided. Your mental health and your general health can be impacted by neglected hearing loss. More to the point, once your hearing aids are ignored in a box somewhere, it’s all too easy to pretend they don’t exist, all the while, your hearing gets worse and worse.
The best way to keep your hearing working properly is to keep those hearing aids working. And the best way to do that is to clean them, keep them charged, and, when necessary, take your hearing aids to get some professional help.
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The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive a personalized free hearing test and hearing loss consultation, call today to set up an appointment.