If you need to start wearing hearing aids, or you’re considering upgrading your hearing aids, it makes perfect sense that you would ask us, East Tennessee’s top clinical audiologists for 45 years, to tell you which hearing aid is best.
The truth is, there is no single best hearing aid, but there is a single best hearing aid for you.
Compare it to choosing a childcare center. You’re going to put a lot of time into making sure the center meets all or most of the things that matter to you, be they credentials, insurance coverage, personality fits, location, opening hours, or cost.
Similarly, with hearing aids, you’re going to choose yours based on all the things that matter to you.
Top Hearing Aid Manufacturers
We’ve worked with several manufacturers over the many years we’ve been helping patients here in Tennessee, and these days we mostly work with ReSound, Phonak, Oticon, and Signia.
I have the most confidence in the ReSound hearing devices.
Our patients adjust well to the sound quality and report good overall clarity, and there is a ReSound aid made for any level of hearing loss. The devices are durable for those with an active lifestyle too.
The company has been making hearing devices for almost 80 years, and they are constantly updating their devices when newer technology becomes available.
However, I have some patients who do a lot of research prior to coming in.
I always like to be open-minded to what they have learned and are wanting to try. I think this helps me to better serve the patient and also grow as an audiologist.
What Are The Key Things That You Take Into Consideration Before Recommending A Specific Hearing Device?
1. The type of hearing loss
Mild, moderate, severe, or profound? Should it be compatible with a cochlear implant? Each manufacturer has a selection of hearing aids that works best for certain types of hearing loss.
2. Experience with hearing aids
Familiarity with most settings in a hearing aid, maintenance, charging, and wearing them.
Knowing how the technology works and how to maximize all the features for optimal hearing.
Being aware of what can damage the device.
3. Dexterity
Ability to easily change batteries and adjust settings in the hearing aid. A hearing aid that connects to a phone app is far easier to adjust the volume on, and rechargeable hearing aids mean no more fiddling with tiny batteries.
4. Expectations of the hearing aids
Understanding that we cannot restore a person’s hearing but we can enhance what’s there, so there will always be some measure of distortion to the incoming sound in different environments — although technology is making this less and less noticeable.
Thankfully, we offer a 45-day risk-free trial on all our hearing aids to ensure your satisfaction with your choice.
5. Anatomy of the patient’s ear
Certain hearing aids fit ear shapes and canal sizes better than others. Does the hearing aid need to be custom fit? Does it need to be discrete or can it sit behind the ear?
We have a four-stage fitting process to make sure the hearing aids you choose fit perfectly, and this starts by recommending a manufacturer that will best meet your needs.
Thanks to our superb audiologists and our ongoing awareness of the latest advances in audiology, you can trust us to recommend the best hearing solution for you.
Making A Decision On Which Hearing Aids To Buy
The first step is to make sure you need hearing aids.
Sometimes we have patients who come for a hearing assessment who are very sure they will be told they have to wear a hearing aid, only to find that something else is causing their hearing loss, making it possibly reversible.
If you live in East Tennessee, find out what a hearing care expert recommends for you by booking a fully comprehensive hearing assessment at one of our five locations.
We’ll discuss the results with you immediately after the evaluation.
If hearing aids are part of the treatment plan we recommend, we will go over all the options available so you can leave with a full understanding of your choices and take some time thinking it over.
We work with you to find the right solution and select the best hearing aid technology to meet your individual needs.
If you already know you need hearing aids but have questions, or if you have any other hearing challenges or concerns, our team of experts is ready to help.
Call us or complete the form on this page for a callback.
