You take good care of your hearing aids. When you go to sleep, you always put them snuggly on the charger and you clean them daily.
But you get pretty distressed when your hearing aids abruptly stop working the way they did once. There are several things you can do to troubleshoot the problem, thankfully. Not doing any additional damage is your top priority so you won’t have to replace them.
Hearing aid troubleshooting
Naturally, when you first got your sweet new hearing aids, you made a point of putting the owner’s manual in a safe spot. Hopefully, you did so that you can consult with your owner’s manual to do maintenance and troubleshooting. Using your owner’s manual is important because every model of hearing aid is different.
On most models there are some other things you can check, here are a few:
- Keep your microphone clear: Check your hearing aid to find out if anything is blocking the microphone. A blocked microphone can cause feedback or can cause your hearing aids to sound broken or quiet.
- Check your battery: Even if you know your hearing aids charged all night, you’ll want to double-check the battery power. It might be a good plan to check if you may need new batteries or if the old ones are correctly inserted, particularly if your batteries are replaceable.
- Look for noticeable damage: Does your hearing aid have any obvious loose components or cracks in its shell? If you find cracks, it could mean that moisture is getting in and there might be more significant damage.
- Wax buildup: Make sure there’s no wax on your hearing aid by giving it a visual check. Wax can build up quickly even if you clean your hearing aids regularly so make sure you double check.
Once again you can find out how to address each of these issues by referring to your owner’s manual. In some cases, you may be able to perform maintenance yourself.
When does my hearing aid need repair?
Your hearing aid will most likely need to be repaired professionally if you do routine upkeep and it still malfunctions. You need your hearing aids for almost every aspect of your life so this may not sound that appealing.
It’s certainly worth taking note that “repair” doesn’t necessarily translate into “send your hearing aids in for service and wait a few weeks”. In some instances, we can fix your hearing aid in office while you wait.
Or, depending on the degree of the damage, you could have your hearing aids back in a few hours.
But rapid repair won’t be possible in all cases. A backup pair of hearing aids may be needed in these situations. So if you have an old pair lying around, ask whether they will serve temporarily. Or it’s possible that we have a loaner pair you can use.
Don’t wait to get help with your hearing aids
It’s essential to have your hearing aid checked and repaired if you start to notice the sound quality is starting to falter.
Any degree of downtime should be avoided. Neglected hearing loss can impact your general health, including your mental health. And it becomes all too easy to leave your hearing aids laying in a drawer somewhere while your hearing continues to diminish.
The optimum way to keep your hearing working properly is to keep those hearing aids working. Keeping them charged, clean, and when needed, professionally repaired is the best way to do that.