Frequently Asked Questions about Hearing and Hearing Problems
Q. What should you expect from a hearing care provider?
A. Hearing aids are medical devices regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. The hearing care provider you choose should be a credentialed and state-licensed professional that provides face-to-face in-person fitting and follow-up.
Your choice of a hearing care provider is as important as your choice of a hearing aid.
Q: What causes hearing loss?
A: A hearing loss many be caused by excessive noise, aging, family history, illness, head trauma, some drugs that are toxic to the hearing system or a middle ear infection.
Q: I was told that I have a mild to moderate hearing loss. That doesn’t sound like much of a hearing loss. Do I need hearing aids for a mild or moderate hearing loss?
A: The degree of hearing loss is based upon how loud a sound must be made for you to hear it. That information comes from the hearing test. Sometimes the words “mild” or “moderate” may mislead you in to believing that the hearing loss is not sufficiently severe enough for hearing aids to help.
A hearing problem is a very personal response to how the hearing loss affects your ability to hear and understand conversations. The information about the hearing problem comes from a comprehensive patient history and discussion of the difficulties you are having. Even a mild or moderate hearing loss can cause a significant hearing problem that can be improved with hearing aids.
Q: What is tinnitus?
A: Tinnitus (pronounced “tin-I-tus” or “TIN-i-tus”) is a sensation of a sound in your ear that is not present in the environment. It may be described as a ringing, roaring, buzzing, or hissing sound. The tinnitus may accompany a hearing loss.
Q: Should I see a physician prior to purchasing hearing aids?
A: If you have any of the following conditions, your best health interests would be served by consulting a licensed physician:
* Visible congenital or traumatic deformity of the ear
* Active drainage from the ear within the previous ninety days
* Sudden or rapidly progressive hearing loss
* Acute or chronic dizziness
* Sudden unilateral (single-sided) hearing loss within the previous ninety days
* Evidence of excessive ear wax or a foreign body in the ear
* Pain or discomfort in the ear
* An air-bone gap greater than 15 db (your hearing health care provider can give you this information)
Q: What is a hearing aid?
A: Hearing aids are a small electronic sound-amplifying device designed to aid people who have impaired hearing. Hearing aids are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. A hearing aid has a microphone to pick up sounds, an amplifier to make the sounds louder, and a speaker to deliver the sounds to the ear.
Q: How do hearing aids help?
A: A hearing loss causes difficulty in hearing speech sounds. The failure to hear the sounds causes a hearing problem.
For example, if someone has a high frequency hearing loss, they may not hear the speech sound of /sh/. If they do not hear the /sh/ they would hear the word shoe as “–oo”.
They may not hear the /s, f, th/ sounds. When these sounds are not heard, the typical complaint is that “People mumble when they speak.”
The primary purpose of a hearing aid is to improve the ease of hearing and understanding the speech sounds. The hearing aid amplifies the sound vibrations entering the ear and allows the sounds to be heard more easily. When the sounds are heard more easily, the speech sounds are clearer.
Q: What is a digital hearing aid?
A: A digital hearing aid converts the sound waves into digital information. The digital sound processor analyzes the information and modifies the sounds to provide a clear amplified distortion-free sound. A digital hearing aid usually provides the greatest precision in adjusting the aid for the greatest comfort and quality of sound.
Terms:
CIC – Completely in the ear canal
Bluetooth Adapters
Streamer System
Tec System
Through the years, Denver Hearing Aids has consistently helped people improve their quality of life with hearing products that enhance their active lifestyle.
We serve the entire Metro Denver Area , Lakewood, Littleton & Englewood, Colorado.
Please Contact Us for help about your hearing concerns.
