Need expert advice?
We often get questions about the vast hearing aid market: For example, which hearing aid is the best product for the best price? Below are answers to common questions about Hearing Aids. If you don’t see answers to your questions please call us.
714-630-7800
- How will I know which hearing is best for me?
- Answer: Since there are a lot of different choices and too many reviews on every brand out there, it’s best to ask this question on the phone to an expert who also wears hearing aids. Asking actual hearing aid users of recent/modern hearing aids is a great way to know what’s working in the real world.
- Dave and Sheri both wear hearing aids and have a lot to share with you concerning what’s the best hearing aid for the best price. Online reviews are often biased toward the brand that makes the most profit and at Crystal Clear Hearing Aids, we only sell what we are willing to wear! We did a ton of research as professionals who both have a hearing loss and we looked for several things to give you the best performance and value.
- Why are there so many different prices and confusing choices? How can I know that my choice will be the best decision for me?
- Answer: There is a lot of choices and prices, so we make it simple in our office by showing you an easy-to-read chart of what different hearing aids do for their corresponding costs.
- Can I wear just one hearing aid? Even if I have a hearing loss in both ears?
- Answer: Yes and no. Of course you can choose to purchase one hearing aid to save costs, but if you have a hearing loss in both ears, you will benefit the most with two hearing aids.
- Think of it like your eyes. When you have a vision loss in both eyes, you have to have glasses that help you see in both; Especially if there’s a different loss on each side. Also, those who wear only one hearing aid (when they have a loss in both) or they do not wear hearing aids full time, can have an increased risk of developing dementia, balance problems and many other health risks.
- Another example is how no one wears only one shoe because our bodies require everything to be even and that includes our hearing.
- What about those tiny Hearing aids I’ve heard about?
- Answer: Many individuals insist on wearing the smallest hearing aid they can get, but will that really benefit their entire hearing experience?
- If a person has a mild to moderate hearing loss than the answer is probably yes; probably is used here because only a licensed/qualified hearing care professional can answer that question after a hearing test and evaluation has been completed.
- If someone’s hearing loss is more significant than mild to moderate, then the answer is more than likely no, but again, this answer can only be addressed after a hearing test. There is still a possibility (but lessor of one) that the new small and discrete hearing aids may address all of a person’s needs even if they have a more significant hearing loss.
- Today, small and discrete means CIC, which stands for Completely in the Canal, so the hearing aid is totally invisible, unless someone was to get close and peak inside your ear canal.
- At Crystal Clear Hearing Aids, our hearing tests and evaluations are free of charge and we can give expert advice if these tiny marvels of technology are right for you or not.
- Can anything be done about my Tinnitus? (Ringing in my ears?)
Answer: Yes. So far, we have found only one way to treat that annoying Ringing in Your Ears, otherwise known as Tinnitus. New Hearing Aid technology has now incorporated “Tinnitus Masking” which will eliminate that annoying ringing in most patients. We have an 80% effective treatment rate!
Since Tinnitus is usually associated with hearing loss (even mild loss like what I have) the top Hearing Aid manufacturers like ReSound have developed a highly sophisticated masking technique found only in hearing aids. So while treating your hearing loss (of any degree) we also have an 80% effective success rate to get rid of (or at least reduce) Tinnitus.
For me, this removed more than half of my daily fatigue and I have far less headaches than ever before.
It all starts with your hearing test; our intelligent Hearing Aid software takes your hearing loss and uses a pleasant noise (like a nice ocean noise) to feed just the right information, which basically tells your brain to stop ringing. You should see the faces of patients who have responded favorably to this amazing treatment! What a relief is an understatement!
- Is there a higher risk of developing dementia and balance with my untreated Hearing Loss?
- Yes. Here’s a peek inside the brain of someone with hearing loss:
We rely on elements of the brain, like working memory and life experiences, to understand a conversations in noisy areas. Surprisingly, only 10% of understanding speech in a noisy environment is by the actual hearing capacity.
Because there is a decline in stimuli and sensory deprivation, hearing loss can lead to functional changes in the brain. Reduced connectivity, brain signal decline, deterioration of the auditory cortex (which is the part of the brain that hears) and a reduction in overall brain volume can occur.
According to a John Hopkinks study of the brain, Dr. Frank Lin published articles regard the association between hearing loss and the risked increase of developing dementia.
- What about hearing in noise? Some of my friends wear hearing aids and can’t hear in noise.
Answer: Many older hearing aids did not have today’s incredible noise reduction available. And many patients have purchased new technology “entry-level” hearing aids and expected “top-level” performance. Top-level hearing hearing aids cost a lot more because they have millions of dollars spent in recent research to intelligently focus on speech while the patient is in a noisy environment. You will still get what you pay for and if hearing in noisy areas is important, we can show you what each tier can do so you can make an informed decision.
There are other factors too. Some patient’s enter an environment that even normal hearing individuals would have some struggle with. And if a person is new to hearing in noise with their hearing aids, they need to understand that it can take a few months of “practicing” to hear in noise with their hearing aids to get the full benefit of hearing speech better in those environments. Many people have tried one time to hear better in a busy restaurant and then gave up since the experience was unpleasant. This would not be enough time for you to “Learn” how to hear in noise. We suggest going to those busy places a little earlier or later than peak times to practice hearing better. Then with some practice and experience, try going at a peak time to get used to hearing in a noisier place. If you can take the time and patience to do this, you will hear much better in time.
Another issue is some patients will not call a practice to let them know what specific areas they are not hearing well in. The software to adjust hearing in noise has drastically improved over the years and this is where a professional who’s diligent to stay in touch with new methods of adjusting can really help you.
- Why are Hearing Aids so expensive?
First and foremost, it takes a ton of new technology to help a person with hearing loss hear better in noise. Imagine an entire laptop (minus the big screen) in each of your ears! This is the type of high-tech ingenuity that goes into professional hearing aids – not the cheep ones! The key word here is ‘professional’. Low cost hearing aids do not know how to reduce noise while boosting conversations in restaurants, parties etc. So the inexpensive hearing aids are frustrating because they are expected to perform like the pro versions, but they don’t work that way. And part of the higher cost goes into durability. Nobody wants to lay down thousands for better hearing, only to replace them in a few years – this is a huge problem with those ‘cheeper’ hearing aids. Conversely, professional hearing aids last longer because they are built better and consume about 30% less power, which means they run cooler and more efficiently. At the end of the day: YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!
David Longeuay was a full time audio engineer from 1980 until he opened up Crystal Clear Hearing Aids in 2016 with his wife. Sheri Longeuay started her medical career working for doctors as a certified medical assistant. They both wear hearing aids and have two offices in
Anaheim and Lake Arrowhead, Ca.