FAQ’s

We recommend everyone over the age of 50 should have their hearing tested with Better Hearing about every 2-3 years, or sooner if you’ve noticed changes in your hearing or tinnitus (ringing or buzzing sounds in your ears).

One of the most common signs of hearing loss is needing the TV volume higher than what others would consider comfortable. Another common sign is feeling like you just can’t understand conversations, especially when someone is turned away from you or in background noise. Many people with hearing loss often comment on not hearing certain sounds anymore, like the alarm on their watch, birds or crickets, or the turn signal in their car. These are all indicators that your hearing has diminished.

While hearing loss may be common as we get older, it is not considered normal for any age! Hearing loss can be caused by a myriad of things – like exposure to loud noises, medications, diseases, and genetics. Just because hearing loss may be common doesn’t mean it’s not worth treating.

You are not alone! Many people feel this way. In fact, this is often the primary reason that brings people into our office. Some of the most soft, subtle sounds are the “s”, “f”, “th”, and “k” sounds, which are crucial for understanding speech. Hearing loss in this range makes speech sound muffled and hard to understand.

Background noise creates competition – competition for what you are trying to hear. It can be car noise, air conditioning or fans running, loud music, or – most commonly – other people talking. Background noise creates more sound for you and your ears to process, and when you have a hearing loss it can often override the sounds you want to hear.

This depends on how your hearing loss is impacting you and those around you. Generally, hearing aids are appropriate for people with a mild hearing loss all the way to a severe to profound hearing loss. Some people may have normal hearing in the bass pitch tones but have a hearing loss in the treble pitch tones. Hearing aids are appropriate for that level of hearing, too. The best way to know is to complete a hearing aid demonstration, which is done routinely at Better Hearing.

It may seem like it, but hearing aids are capable of more than just making things louder. Prescription hearing aids are programmed for each of your ears and provide targeted amplification for the specific frequencies you have trouble hearing. Hearing aids treat soft sounds differently than loud sounds – soft sounds are the ones you have trouble hearing, and loud sounds are already loud (they don’t need to be much louder!) Hearing aids also attempt to reduce background noise and enhance the speech closest to you by using directional microphones and advanced signal noise processing techniques.

Although prescription hearing aids are a technological wonder, they do not and cannot restore your hearing to “normal”. Hearing aids help to give your brain access to sound, specifically the sound that you are missing because of your hearing loss. Your brain processes that sound and tries to make sense of it. Much like glasses, when you remove your hearing aids your hearing loss remains. The goal for hearing aid use is to hear better with a hearing aid than without one – not to hear like when you were 20 years old.

That’s the million-dollar question. First is the cost of developing the hearing aids. Hearing aid’s pack a lot into their small size. Not only do they amplify sound, but they also analyze your sound environment and classify the noises that are present. The advanced features in hearing aids have been developed through years of research and development by hearing aid manufacturers. Much like other technological advances in consumer electronics, this research and development is costly. However, unlike other consumer electronics, hearing aids are classified as a medical device and must meet strict safety and quality standards. The regulatory process increases costs but ensures reliability and performance. Second, the price you pay is not exclusive to the hearing aid itself. Prescription hearing aids at Better Hearing are a bundled expense. This means the total price that you pay for treating your hearing loss includes:

• The prescription hearing aids
• The fitting, verification, and orientation of the devices
• Ongoing follow-up with our providers (for 1, 2 or 3 years, depending on the service plan offered with the purchase)
• Hearing aid device cleaning, supplies, in-office repairs
• Manufacturer warranty (repair and loss and damage) and loaner hearing aids for repairs
• Product updates, Bluetooth connection help, and other assistance

Prescription hearing aids sold in the state of Washington require a minimum of a 30-day trial period for returns or exchanges. Our providers are highly skilled, educated, and experienced when it comes to treating hearing loss. But don’t just take our word for it, read what others have to say here.

In 2022, the FDA created a new category of hearing aids called “over-the-counter” (OTC) hearing aids. This new category differentiated hearing aids purchased through an audiologist’s office as “prescription hearing aids” because they are fitted by a professional licensed by their state to diagnose and treat hearing loss. The hearing aids at Better Hearing are prescription hearing aids – Better Hearing does not currently offer OTC hearing aids.OTC hearing aids are often referred to as “self-fitting” hearing aids. They are designed to be worn right out of the box and can be adjusted with either on-board controls or through an app. The ability to adjust to the sound you hear depends on the model of OTC hearing aid. Some OTC hearing aids only allow volume adjustment, whereas others may have pre-set frequency response curves based on the most common hearing loss configurations. Some OTC hearing aids have the ability to test your hearing with the device on your ear through the app on your smart phone. The orientation to the devices and follow-up care for repairs, manufacturer warranty, and return period also vary.

Cochlear Implants are different from hearing aids, as they transmit sound through an implanted electrode array. Cochlear implants are appropriate for people with severe to profound hearing loss or for people where hearing aids don’t provide enough benefit. To determine if a cochlear implant is the best treatment option for your hearing loss, you would need to see an audiologist for a cochlear implant evaluation. Better Hearing does not offer cochlear implant evaluations or provides programming services for cochlear implants.

The price you pay for prescription hearing aids is a bundled expense. This means the total price you pay for treating your hearing loss includes the devices themselves, the fitting, verification, and instruction on how to use them. Part of why our patients find great benefit with their prescription hearing aids is due to the Better Hearing Program. This is a specifically designed treatment process that, when followed, has a 96% success rate with treating hearing loss – which means we only process 4% returns per year. One of the best examples of why our patients find success is the utilization of Real Ear Measures. This measurement allows us to make sure the sound coming out of the hearing aid and into your ear is at just the right volume at each specific frequency. Want to know more about Real Ear Measures? Watch this video here. Want to learn more about our Better Hearing Program? One of our experienced providers would love to meet you and see if it’s a good fit for your needs – contact us to schedule a consultation!

There are several factors to consider when selecting a hearing aid for a child or young adult. One is the physical size and shape of the device. Children have smaller ears, and their ears can grow as they get older. Therefore, most hearing aids for children are a behind-the-ear style with a custom molded earpiece. The custom molded earpiece can be remade as the child grows, but the hearing aid remains the same. Another factor is how much sound the child is getting from the hearing aid. Children who utilize spoken language as their communication style need to be able to hear to learn how to speak. Children need to hear everything – even things happening at a distance or in the background. The primary focus for hearing aids for children is to make sure their brain has access to all sounds in their environment. Contrast with adult hearing aids, which utilize noise reduction features and directional microphones to try to mitigate unwanted noise.

It depends on the type and cause of the hearing loss. Some hearing losses are temporary – like from an ear infection. Most hearing losses are permanent and would require the use of hearing aids to treat the hearing loss. Our providers at Better Hearing are willing and able to answer all questions you may have about the diagnosis and treatment of your child’s hearing loss, as each case is unique.

If the custom earpiece, called an earmold, is too loose and falls out of their ear, then a new earmold impression will need to be made. This process takes about 5 minutes per ear and two weeks to order and receive the new earmold. Younger children will need new earmold impressions more often – about every 4-6 months, whereas older children can go 1-2 years using the same earmold.

It depends on the type and cause of the hearing loss. Some hearing losses can remain stable throughout life, whereas others can get worse over time. It is important to monitor your child’s hearing to determine if the hearing loss will progress or stay the same.

A cochlear implant is appropriate for children and adults who have severe to profound hearing loss, or where hearing aids have not been beneficial. Our providers will talk to you about cochlear implantation if it is appropriate for treating your child’s hearing loss. Better Hearing does not offer cochlear implant evaluations or provides programming services for cochlear implants.

Hearing aids are designed to be worn in and around your ear – which means they are susceptible to ear wax! Ear wax is the number one culprit of hearing aid malfunction. Your hearing aid may have a wax guard, or wax filter, that will need to be changed. Please refer to your user manual for specifics about your hearing aid. You can watch this short video here for detailed instructions on how to change wax guards. If you can’t get your hearing aid working, please stop by our office and one of our providers or trained audiology assistants will assess what’s wrong.

Hearing aids are designed to be worn and used daily for upwards of 3-5 years. They are pretty durable! Some hearing aids are completely waterproof, whereas others are moisture resistant. However, hearing aids will not sustain being run over by a car, stepped on, chewed up by a dog, or survive scissors or a fire (well shoot!).

Most people replace their hearing aids about every 3-5 years. This is because hearing aid technology improves, and older technology becomes obsolete. However, it is not unheard of for hearing aids to last upwards of 10 years. You are welcome to keep your hearing aids for as long as they are functional and able to be repaired.

Yes! We have a large selection of loaner hearing aids available that we can program for you to use while your hearing aid is being repaired.

The most common cause of whistling or feedback is incorrect positioning of the hearing aid in your ear. Another cause is ear wax – the ear wax in your ear can create a reflective surface that causes the amplified sound to “bounce back” and feedback. Lastly, a hearing aid that is whistling could be a sign of malfunction. If your hearing aid is whistling, please contact us and we can help troubleshoot the issue.