Hearing Aid Services

At Green Tree Hearing and Audiology, we provide comprehensive hearing aid services to ensure that your aids function at their best. Regular maintenance and care of your hearing aids are important to helping you hear optimally. Any significant changes in the quality of your listening experience should be addressed right away. Wherever you are in your journey to better hearing, we are proud to offer the following hearing aid services. If you are experiencing signs of hearing loss, we invite you to schedule a consultation with one of our Doctors of Audiology.

Hearing Aid Evaluations

Hearing aid evaluations are the important first step in improving your hearing. During our consultation, we will discuss your medical history, as well as aspects of your life such as your employment, hobbies, and activities – and environments in which you struggle to hear. With this information, we are able to find a hearing solution that seamlessly fits into your life to improve your hearing. Hearing aid evaluations require a comprehensive hearing test, which outlines your hearing abilities in an audiogram. We review the audiogram to determine whether a hearing loss is present, and if so, the type, degree, and configuration. Combined with your lifestyle needs and preferences, the audiogram helps us narrow down the best devices for your particular needs.

Hearing Aid Fittings

Hearing aid fittings often take place over a period of time, to ensure that the devices bring you benefits effectively and efficiently. We’ll begin with a few different options and go over the price points with you. Once we’ve narrowed down your choices, you’ll have the opportunity to try out the devices in real-life situations. During this time, you’ll experience the significant benefits that hearing aids bring to your everyday life.

After the trial period, we’ll assist you in the decision-making process. Once you’ve made a decision, we will take molds of your ears and tailor the devices specifically for you.

When your hearing aids are ready, the final step of the fitting process is to ensure that the devices physically fit and also provide optimal benefit for your hearing loss. This involves taking measurements of sound inside your ears to ensure that your hearing aids perform properly in real-world situations.

We encourage you to use your hearing aids every day, and it is normal to take your time in the adjustment process. Start wearing your hearing aids in the comfort of your home first, and gradually wear them out first in quieter settings before incorporating them entirely into your daily routine. This process is crucial in giving your brain time to adjust to picking up sounds that you once missed with untreated hearing loss. During this process, if there is discomfort or issues with sound quality, we encourage you to visit us for adjustments and re-fittings.

Hearing Aid Programming/Reprogramming

When you are fitted for hearing aids, we will fully customize them to treat your specific hearing loss. It is natural for our hearing abilities change over time. Once your hearing aids have been fully incorporated into your daily routine, they should seamlessly give you access to the sounds in your life. If you’ve noticed significant changes in sound quality, and your typical adjustments to volume, features, and programs do not maintain a quality listening experience, your hearing aids may need to be re-programmed.

In some instances, this may require an updated hearing test to determine where and how your hearing abilities have changed. Most advanced hearing aids are equipped with a wide range of features and programs. This flexibility allows them to be tailored to treat a wide-range of degrees and configurations of hearing loss. If you’ve noticed changes in your listening experience, we can help by reprogramming your hearing aids using an updated audiogram.

If your hearing abilities have changed beyond the capacity of your current pair of hearing aids, we’ll recommend new solutions to accommodate your hearing needs.

Hearing Aid Maintenance

With any electronic that is used daily, hearing aids require maintenance to function properly. Through the course of the day, your hearing aids may collect moisture, dust, lint, debris, and earwax that could affect their functionality. See the section below entitled “Caring for Your Hearing Aids at Home” for maintenance tips.

At Green Tree Hearing and Audiology, we provide routine hearing aid maintenance to ensure that your hearing aids function at their best. We provide cleanings, and as professionals, we have experience in taking apart the devices to thoroughly clean the small, hard to reach areas without damaging your devices. While you should care for your hearing aids daily, come visit us for the more complicated cleaning processes to avoid damage.

Hearing Aid Repairs

Hearing aids are reliable devices, though sometimes they need a little help. If your hearing aids have stopped functioning, try replacing the batteries or making sure they are fully charged (if you use rechargeables). Try turning them off, then on again, to see if the reset helps. If the sound quality has changed significantly, you may need replacement parts or repairs. We recommend that you do not try to “fix” your hearing aids at home, as any damage incurred may not be covered by warranty. Come visit us for professional repairs. We do repairs in-house, and for any problems we cannot fix, we will send them to the manufacturer for more in-depth repairs. Again, it is important to remember that hearing aids last an average of five to seven years, so if your devices are older, we may recommend an upgrade for problems that cannot be fixed.

Caring For your Hearing Aids at Home

With proper upkeep and daily maintenance, your hearing devices should function properly and provide you with significant benefits. Here are some tips for caring for your hearing aids at home.

Hearing Aid Care - At Night

Hearing aids should be worn throughout your waking hours. After a long day, follow these steps for caring for your hearing aids:

• Use a clean, dry cloth to gently wipe your hearing aids.
• Remember, avoid using water or liquid cleansers of any kind – moisture is the enemy when it comes to hearing aids!
• Check your devices for any blockages of earwax or debris.
• If anything needs to be removed, use picks and brushes gently for removal.
• If your hearing aids have plastic tubing, check the tubing for any cracks. If you see cracks, replace the tubing (if you need help, we can help!).
• If your hearing aids have earmolds, gently clean them with picks, brushes, and a clean dry cloth.
• Remove any earwax or debris that may have accumulated.
• If you use traditional hearing aid batteries, remove the batteries and test them. It’s best to test them before bed, as you may have a hectic morning and you’ll want to ensure that your batteries have sufficient power!
• With hearing aids that use traditional batteries, turn off your devices and open the battery door. This helps with removing moisture.
• If you live in a humid climate or had been active during the day, you may want to use a dehumidifying unit to remove moisture from your devices overnight.
• If you use rechargeable hearing aids, simply place them into your recharging station.
• Be sure to store your hearing aids in a clean, dry place. Avoid storing them in the bathroom, as moisture does collect in bathrooms throughout the day.
• Keep your hearing aids in a secure place, out of the reach of children and pets.

Caring for Hearing Aids - In the Morning

• Be sure to go through your morning bathroom routine fully before inserting your hearing aids.
• Never wear them in the shower or even while washing your face, to avoid any water damage.
• Avoid blow-drying or styling your hair with your hearing aids in. Heat from the hair dryer and stickiness from styling products could harm your hearing aids.
• Apply moisturizer or sunblock sprays before inserting your hearing aids.
• If you use traditional hearing aid batteries, be sure to pack an extra set for the day!
• If you use rechargeable aids, check your battery levels after the overnight charge to make sure they are fully charged.

If you’ve experienced changes in your hearing, the first step toward better hearing is a comprehensive hearing test. At Greentree Hearing and Audiology, a comprehensive diagnostic hearing evaluation consists of a few non-invasive and painless steps.  Contact us to schedule a consultation with one of our friendly Audiologists in St. Louis.

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