Types of Hearing Aids in Dallas, TX
What's the Right Treatment for Your Type of Hearing Loss?
If you haven’t thought about hearing aids since your great grandfather wore one to your violin recital, you might be shocked at how much they’ve changed.
In fact, hearing aids have changed so much in the last few years many of our customers tend not to think of them as just hearing aids.
Modern hearing aids are far more discreet, with some completely hidden in the ear canal, or in-the-ear (ITE) models that sit just inside the outer ear and use artificial intelligence (AI) and Bluetooth to increase sound quality, clarity, and usefulness.
There was a time when you couldn’t use hearing aids with telephones. Today’s hearing aids stream phone calls, music and video sound directly to your ears, and most come with an app so you can adjust settings from your phone without touching the devices themselves.
Benefits of Modern Hearing Aids
Here are just a few benefits of modern hearing aids:
- Bluetooth features that sync with your TV, phone and other smart devices.
- Rechargeable batteries, so there’s no more fumbling with tiny disposable batteries. Just place your hearing aids in their charging case overnight, and they’re ready to go.
- Biometric tracking abilities, so you can replace your fitness tracker device, or even your alert pendant. (Some hearing aids are able to detect falls in case you’re unable to call for help.)
- Artificial intelligence, so you can filter out noise to focus on the music or voice you want to hear.
- Real-time translation, which is a great feature if you enjoy traveling and want to understand conversations in another language.
- Waterproof hearing aids that allow you to swim while wearing them.
- More comfortable, extended-wear options.
Digital hearing aids have also solved many of the complaints of earlier hearing aid devices, such as eliminating the “voice-in-a-tunnel” effect and cancelling out feedback (that annoying screeching noise).
What's the Difference Between Digital Hearing Aids and Analog?
Back in the day, there were only analog hearing aids, which are essentially amplifying devices. Similar to digital hearing aids, they have a tiny microphone, a receiver and a component designed to make sounds louder.
But that’s where the comparison ends, because modern digital hearing aids also have a microchip, which makes them akin to tiny computers. Many of the benefits listed above are only possible with digital hearing aids including:
- Automatically focus on voices (instead of noise)
- Cancel out that screeching feedback sound older models sometimes made
- Connect to other devices
- Discern between situations where you’d want to focus on one sound (like talking to a waiter in a restaurant) versus situations where you’d want to hear a variety of sounds (like at a rock concert)
Overall, digital hearing aids offer a sound quality much closer to your natural hearing.
What Styles of Hearing Aids Do We Offer?
We offer a full range of hearing aid styles to match your hearing loss, lifestyle, and preferences:
Behind-the-Ear (BTE)
The most powerful and flexible style, with the electronics sitting behind your ear and a tube delivering sound into your ear canal. A good fit for more severe hearing loss.
In-the-Ear (ITE)
Custom-molded to fit in the outer ear. Larger and easier to handle than smaller styles, which makes them a good choice if dexterity is a concern.
Completely-in-Canal (CIC)
Sits deeper in the ear canal than ITC devices, making it far less noticeable to others.
Extended-Wear (like Phonak Lyric™)
Placed by one of our specialists and worn continuously, day and night, for months at a time, completely hidden in the ear canal.
Receiver-in-Canal (RIC)
One of our most popular styles. Similar to BTE, but slimmer and more discreet, with just a thin wire running to a small receiver in your ear canal.
In-the-Canal (ITC)
Custom-molded to sit partly in your ear canal, offering a nice middle ground between visibility and ease of handling.
Invisible-in-Canal (IIC)
Our smallest, most discreet style, sitting deep enough in the canal that it’s virtually invisible.
What About Hearing Aids I Can Buy Without Seeing a Specialist?
You may have seen over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids at the pharmacy or online, designed for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss who’d rather skip a professional fitting. They can be a reasonable starting point for some people, but they come with generic settings that aren’t matched to your actual hearing test results.
The hearing aids we fit are custom-programmed to the exact shape of your hearing loss, adjusted over time as your hearing changes, and backed by follow-up visits to fine-tune the fit. For most people with real, diagnosable hearing loss, that difference is what makes hearing aids actually work well day to day, rather than just making everything louder.
Reviewed by the audiologists at McLean Hearing Center
Still have questions? Ask one of our audiologists!
Ready To Hear What You've Been Missing?
Find the perfect hearing aid style for your lifestyle. Schedule a consultation with our audiologists today to learn about your options.