Carolina Hearing Doctors Products

Hearing Aids
(See bottom of page for FAQ on hearing aids)

As a local and completely private practice we are not owned or affiliated with any particular manufacturer. This gives us, and you, enormous flexibility as we can use a variety of hearing aid brands. Having choice lets us select the most beneficial hearing aids for your particular problem.
Brands that we frequently use are ReSound, Unitron Hearing, Phonak, Starkey, Siemens, Widex, Sonic Innovations, Oticon and others. Dr. Mills can also obtain almost any other brand that you may be interested in using.

When deciding about hearing aids we help you decide what technology and size works best for you. Below is a brief overview of these topics.

Technology
Innovations in electronics and hearing aid design have created a revolution in hearing aid function in the last several years. These improvements continue to make hearing aids more user friendly and allow them to offer more real-world benefits to improve your hearing clarity.

Analog hearing aids were the standard until the late 1990s. These circuits use electrical signals to produce sound. These electrical signals can be adjusted in general terms to amplify the sounds. Hearing aids using these circuits offer only limited adjustment.

Digital hearing aids work in a different way than analog. Digital circuits convert sound into "bits" of data - ("0s" and "1s") - that can be manipulated by a tiny computer in the hearing aid. The bits representing the sound are analyzed and manipulated by algorithms (a set of instructions) to perform precise, complex actions to improve clarity. This process happens very rapidly: there are several million calculations occurring in the hearing aid per second. These complex calculations offer many variations of background noise management and reduction to create very precise, very flexible hearing aids.

These manipulations are simply not available with analog circuits.

Currently, 90% of hearing aids dispensed in America are digital. Occasionally there is a reason to use analog devices but almost everyone should use digital circuitries.

When advertisers promote hearing aids for extremely low prices like $350-$750 each, these are often older analog hearing aids. While these may offer improvement in volume they have limited ability to match your hearing needs.

Fitting Type
There are many styles of hearing aids. Your selection of the most appropriate device for your needs depends on several factors such as (1) your degree of the hearing loss, (2) features necessary to meet your individual needs, (3) manual dexterity abilities, (4) cost factors, and (5) cosmetic concerns. The most common styles are listed below:

Open Fit: These small, mini behind-the-ear hearing aids that are the newest and fastest growing device in the industry. A mini device is placed behind the ear, hidden from view, and a thin, clear tube is placed inside the ear canal. The canal is left open so normal sounds pass through unaffected and the hearing aid amplifies only those frequencies that are deficient. Initially meant for high frequency hearing loss only, recent developments have made it suitable for many more people.

BTE: Behind-The-Ear hearing aids are the largest hearing aids and offer benefits not found on other styles. The aid sits comfortably behind-the-ear with a custom earmold that sits comfortably in the ear. These are the most flexible of all hearing aids and offer the greatest number of features. These features can reduce background noise, enhance clarity, enhance telephone clarity, and provide the greatest amount of amplification. Despite their number of features, these aids often cost the least amount.

ITC: In-The-Canal aids fill inside the ear canal but do not extend into the “bowl”. They require more dexterity to manipulate but can be easy to insert and remove. These do not offer the flexibility of sound and volume that ITE or BTE aids provide.

ITE: In-The-Ear aids fill the entire ear opening and are the most noticeable of all hearing aids. They are usually the least expensive but easiest to operate. This is often the best choice for someone needing an aid that is to insert and manipulate

CIC: Completely-In-the-Canal aids are the tiniest hearing aids. They extend deep into the ear canal and are not visible from the front or even side. Due to their small size they can be difficult to manipulate and usually require a "removal string" to extrct from the ear. These aids completely occlude the ear canal and often provide a strong sense of ear fullness. These aids often provide the least amount of amplification but cost the most money.

Click here to learn more about hearing aids:Library of Information about Hearing Aids (click here)

Frequently Asked Questions about Hearing Aids

1) It seems that hearing aids are expensive, why?
The price of hearing aids is really two three elements rolled into one price; 1) the cost of the instrument itself, and 2) the professional services.

Hearing aids are miniature sound-processing computers that contain as much technology as most desktop computers. Developing this technology requires significant development in the areas of medical prosthetics, acoustic research, and digital sound manipulation. This blend of technology is expensive to research, develop, and integrate into a device as small as a hearing aid.
Hearing aids alone are useless without appropriate fitting and adjustment. Professional services for consultation, fitting, adjustment, and regular follow-up allow you to receive the most benefit from your hearing aids. Rather than paying for these services at each and every visit, these costs are included in the overall price. During your three year warranty you will require 9-10 hours of total professional time for fitting, follow-up, and adjustment. We know this from 20 years of experience with thousands of hearing aid users.
Sales offices that advertise dramatically lower prices must achieve these prices by providing less professional service and using older or basic technology. Again, the short-term joy of a cheap price is often forgotten when those hearing aids fail to meet your needs.

2) How much are hearing aids, and how should I budget for them?
The common range of current technology hearing aids will range from $1250 to over $2800. The wide range relates to the level of technology and features. A rule of thumb: more expensive hearing aids have better technology to reduce interfering background sounds and improve your clarity in every situation. The average cost is in the $2,000 range.
If you have been recommended hearing aids that exceed $3,250 each you should seek another opinion from an Audiologist. Few, if any, hearing aids should exceed $3,250.
Obviously when it comes down to actually making a decision your budget becomes a determining factor. Budget is important but the short-term joy of a terrific bargain can turn into dis-satisfaction when you realize the bargain aids do not offer better clarity. My recommendation is to consider middle or upper level of technology, even if it means a slight financial stretch. Most of your needs will be achieved and you will not regret the purchase.

You think hearing aids are expensive? Check out this bit of consumer excess: Click here

3) Why do some places give free hearing tests while others have a charge?
It is important to understand the difference between hearing tests and hearing/audiological evaluations. While both are used for the same purpose, to measure your hearing ability, the information gathered from each test is very different. Hearing loss is not a condition by itself. It is a symptom of a change in the middle ear, inner ear, hearing nerve, or brain processing centers.

Hearing Screening - this is a fairly limited test that shows how you hear tones at their softest levels and speech at a comfortable level. This test gives little or no information about the cause of your hearing loss, part of the ear creating the hearing loss, need for medical treatment, or practical hearing in background noise. It is merely a screening tool to determine if hearing aids can help you in a general way.
The "Free Hearing Test" that is offered by many sales outlets is almost always this type of limited test and is usually not reimbursed by insurance.

Diagnostic Hearing or Audiological Evaluation - this is an extensive ear and hearing evaluation that is used only by an Audiologist to measure your hearing ability and find which part of your ear is most likely causing your hearing loss. This information can show if you're in the 15% of people who have a hearing loss that is treatable with medication or surgery. It also helps predict how much benefit you are likely to receive from hearing aids. The combined tests cost $65-$145 and are reimbursed by insurance, Medicare, and almost any health plan.

In summary, the hearing screening tells if you have a hearing loss and to what degree. The diagnostic hearing evaluation tells why you have hearing loss, if it is medically treatable, and helps predict what benefit you may receive from hearing aids. You already know or suspect you have a hearing loss; take time to discover everything you can about it.

4) What are the best brands of hearing aids?
In 2008 there are approximately 15 brands of hearing aids. A majority of hearing aids sold in the world are made by the top 6-7 manufacturers. Some manufacturers like Starkey and Sonic Innovations are American companies. Unitron is based in Canada but has most of its production in America. GNReSound started as an American company but was purchased by a European company.
Hearing aids contain innovative technologies that are developed with significant investment in acoustic, medical, and product research. As such, the development of hearing aids occur in areas of the world that lead in sophisticated microelectronics, usually the United States and European countries like Switzerland (Phonak), Germany (Siemens), and Denmark (GNReSound, Widex, Oticon). Most of these companies have research, design, and manufacturing facilities in America and employ thousands of Americans in the industry. Currently there are few if any hearing aids manufactured in the Far East.
There is not one brand that makes the best hearing aid. Each of these leading brands research and develop their own technology. Most offer hearing aids across a wide price range, although some focus on a specific area of technology. For instance, Phonak is a leader in the use of remote controls and wireless technology to make their hearing aids more adaptable in a wider variety of listening situations. Siemens has focused on "ear to ear" wireless control so manipulation of one aid automatically adjusts the aid in the other ear.
Familiar names like Miracle Ear and Beltone are well known brands but actually use technology from other manufacturers which is then private labeled. Some local offices have their own "office brand" but these should be avoided as no other hearing care provider can adjust or repair these hearing aids.