You take care of your hearing aids. Cleaning them daily, you make sure they are safe and comfortable on their charger when you go to bed.
But you get pretty distressed when your hearing aids suddenly stop working the way they did once. There are a few things you can do to diagnose the issue, luckily. Just don’t forget: your main job is to avoid damaging your hearing aid additionally (or you may have to replace them).
Hearing aid troubleshooting
You kept the owner’s manual that came with your beautiful new hearing aids, right? Hopefully, you did so that you can check with your owner’s manual to undertake maintenance and troubleshooting. Every model of hearing aid can be rather different so it’s essential to follow the manual’s recommendations.
Here are some things you can check on most models:
- Wax buildup: Make sure there’s no wax on your hearing aid by giving it a visual inspection. Wax can build up quickly even if you clean your hearing aids frequently so make sure you double check.
- Keep your microphone clear: Check your hearing aid to see if anything is blocking the microphone. Your hearing aid might feedback or simply fail to work if the microphone is blocked.
- Check for noticeable damage: Do you observe any visible cracks or loose components around the shell of your hearing aid? Cracks, obviously, could suggest more significant damage (or allow in moisture).
- Check your battery: Even if you know your hearing aids charged all night, you’ll want to double-check the battery power. It may be a good idea to check if you may need new batteries or if the old ones are properly inserted, particularly if your batteries are replaceable.
Again, check with your owner’s manual on how you should approach each of these issues. In some cases, you may be able to perform maintenance yourself.
How will I know when my hearing aid requires repair?
Your hearing aid will probably have to be repaired professionally if you do routine maintenance and it still malfunctions. That might not always sound appealing, after all, you depend on your hearing aid for daily communication (not to mention dinners with your family, staying 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 repaired. In some instances, we can repair your hearing aid in office while you wait.
Or, depending on the extent of the damage, you could get your hearing aids back in a few hours.
There are still some instances where such quick repair isn’t possible. A backup set of hearing aids may be needed in these situations. So if you have an old pair lying around, ask whether they will serve on a temporary basis. We might even be able to let you borrow a pair while you are waiting.
Don’t wait to get help with your hearing aids
It’s essential to get your hearing aid assessed and repaired if you begin to notice the audio quality is starting to fail.
You’ll want to avoid any downtime. Your mental health and your general health can be affected by untreated hearing loss. Moreover, once your hearing aids are ignored in a box somewhere, it’s all too easy to pretend they’re not there, all the while, your hearing grows worse and worse.
The optimum way to keep your hearing healthy is to keep those hearing aids working. Keeping them charged, clean, and when needed, professionally repaired is the best way to do that.