types of hearing aids

Much smaller, more comfortable, with better sound… hearing aids have come a long way in the past few years, with new technology making all the difference.

We offer state-of-the-art hearing aids, many years of experience, doctoral-level audiology education, and exceptional customer service… which makes improving your hearing easy and stress-free. We’ll explain your options to you – keeping in mind the best value for your specific needs – but here’s a brief overview of the types of hearing aids available:

Behind-the-Ear (BTE) This style hooks over the ear and allows the body of the hearing aid to hang behind the outer ear with only a discreet ear mold in the ear. The BTE can be used to fit a wide range of hearing losses, but is mainly reserved for more severe hearing losses. It can also be useful for extreme high frequency hearing losses or draining ears where special air ventilation is required.

In-the-Ear (ITE) This style is custom fit to fill the opening of the ear. ITE hearing aids allow for a comfortable fit, ease of manipulation (insertion and removal), and are generally easy to clean and maintain. ITE instruments are appropriate for a wide variety of hearing loss, from mild to severe degrees of impairment.

In-the-Canal (ITC) This style is custom crafted to sit into the ear canal, offering more concealment and, often, a more comfortable fit than BTE or ITE types. Advances in technology have allowed us to fit this smaller hearing aid on a variety of hearing losses, ranging from mild to moderate impairments.

Completely-in-the-Canal (CIC) This style is the least likely to be seen. Modern circuitry has been miniaturized enough to allow even the most advanced digital circuits to fit into a CIC hearing aid. Plus, because the CIC sits deeper into the canal, there’s less whistling and, in some cases, less amplification is needed. Today's CICs can fit many hearing losses – from mild to severe or high frequency losses – with excellent results in a variety of listening situations.

Open Fitting An open fitting is a new type of hearing aid that uses a thin tube or a speaker inside the ear canal. These types of instruments are for people who have high frequency hearing losses and may have been told at one time that they cannot use hearing aids. They don’t have to be molded, and can be fit instantly in the office – in fact, you can go home with them the same day! These hearing aids don’t plug up your ear and offer ease of use and benefit never before offered to those with high frequency losses.

We’re happy to explain all your options; please contact us for an appointment.