You take care of your hearing aids. Cleaning them every day, you make sure they’re safe and snug on their charger when you go to bed.
But you get pretty distressed when your hearing aids abruptly stop working the way they did once. There are a few things you can do to diagnose the problem, thankfully. Not doing any additional damage is your number one priority so you won’t have to replace them.
Hearing aid troubleshooting
You kept the owner’s manual that came with your shiny new hearing aids, right? Hopefully, you did so that you can consult with your owner’s manual to do maintenance and troubleshooting. Each model of hearing aid can be rather different so it’s important to follow the manual’s recommendations.
Here are some things you can check on most models:
- Check for noticeable damage: Does your hearing aid have any noticeable loose components or cracks in its shell? If you discover cracks, it could indicate that moisture is getting in and there could be more significant damage.
- Wax accumulation: Be certain that 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 regularly so make sure you double check.
- Check your battery: You’ll still want to check the battery power even if you had your hearing aids charging overnight. If your hearing aid has replaceable batteries, it might not be a bad plan to check if those batteries are correctly inserted or if a new one resolves the problem.
- Keep your microphone clear: Check for anything obstructing the microphone of your hearing aid. Your hearing aid might feedback or simply fail to work if the microphone is blocked.
Once again you can discover how to deal with each of these concerns by consulting your owner’s manual. In some cases, you may be able to perform maintenance yourself.
When does my hearing aid need repair?
If your hearing aid continues to malfunction after you have performed basic maintenance and troubleshooting, it’s likely that your hearing aid will need to be professionally repaired. You need your hearing aids for almost every aspect of your life so this may not sound very appealing.
It’s definitely worth noting that “repair” doesn’t always translate into “send your hearing aids in for service and wait several weeks”. In some cases, we can fix 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 rapid repair isn’t possible. A backup set of hearing aids may be required in these cases. Maybe you have an old pair that will do temporarily in a pinch. Or maybe we have a loaner pair you can use.
Get help with your hearing aids without delay
If the audio quality is beginning to falter, it’s crucial to get your hearing aids checked and repaired.
Any amount of downtime should be prevented. Your mental health and your general health can be affected by untreated hearing loss. And it becomes all too easy to leave your hearing aids laying in a drawer somewhere while your hearing continues to diminish.
Keeping those hearing aids in good working order is the secret to keeping your hearing healthy. And the ideal way to do that is to clean them, keep them charged, and, when needed, take your hearing aids to get some professional help.