Hearing Aids & Protection
Hearing Aid Sales & Assistance
Do you need a hearing aid? You’ve come to the right place!
Double-board-certified ENT physician Dr. Scott W. Franklin and audiologist Abeda Mueed of Georgetown ENT perform a full range of hearing and balance tests to determine if hearing aids may help you, and we offer a remarkable selection of hearing aids and hearing protection (customized ear plugs) available for purchase on-site.
Georgetown Better Hearing Center at Georgetown ENT has been providing hearing aid sales and services to patients since 2003. In fact, we’re the only hearing aid retailer in Georgetown, Texas, run by an otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat physician) and a licensed audiologist. And because Georgetown Better Hearing is not affiliated with any particular hearing aid manufacturer, you get the device best suited to you, across a wide range of makes and models.
With so many hearing aids available today, choosing the right one can be difficult and time-consuming. Understanding the options available can help make the process easier and ensure the one you choose will best meet your needs.
Types of Hearing Aids
Hearing aids work by picking up sound with a microphone, increasing the volume and/or clarity of sounds with an amplifier, and relaying the upgraded sound into the ear canal with a receiver. These days, with digital technology, that incoming sound is converted into digital codes that are analyzed by a computer chip and adjusted according to your specific hearing requirements.
While most hearing aids perform in basically the same manner, different styles are available to accommodate your budget and your personal preferences. An important point to remember is that the smaller the hearing aid, the shorter its battery life and the more it will cost.
This type of hearing aid is the smallest and least noticeable. Because the device sits deep in the ear canal, it is less sensitive to wind noise. These custom-molded devices are designed to help in cases of mild to moderate adult hearing loss.
However, completely-in-the-canal devices use small batteries with a relatively short battery life and are subject to earwax and moisture buildup, which can affect speaker clarity. Due to its small size, a CIC hearing aid may require a certain level of dexterity to handle and swap out its batteries.
In-the-canal hearing aids are customized to fit in your ear canal, although not as deeply as the CIC version. Thus, the size and shape of in-the-canal devices is somewhere between CIC and in-the-ear varieties.
Like CIC devices, in-the-canal aids use a smaller battery with a shorter battery life and are subject to the buildup of earwax. However, its slightly bigger size may allow additional features not included in the CIC aids. In-the-canal hearing aids are recommended for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss.
In-the-ear hearing aids fit inside the outer portion of the ear (just outside the ear canal) and are larger than in-the-canal versions. Its size allows for more features than are available for in-the-canal devices, a slightly larger battery (and longer battery life), and easier handling.
Because of its location within the ear, ITE hearing aids are more noticeable and sensitive to wind noise. ITE hearing aids are helpful for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss.
Half Shell
The “half shell” variety involves creating a custom-made device that fits in the lower half of your outer ear.
Full Shell
The “full shell” type is also custom-made, but it fits within the entire “bowl” area of the outer ear, making it more noticeable than the half shell.
Behind-the-ear devices are the most common type of hearing aid in the U.S. and can be used for adults and children with practically any type of hearing loss. Different styles of BTEs are more or less noticeable.
In traditional BTE hearing aids, the electronics are contained within a plastic case that hooks over the top of your ear. It transmits amplified sound to a custom-made earpiece that fits within your ear canal. These hearing aids can provide greater amplification than other types of hearing aids.
In mini BTE hearing aids, the receiver is located in the earpiece within your ear canal, and the entire device is held in place with a thin wire that hooks over the top of your ear. These are also sometimes called receiver-in-canal or receiver-in-the-ear devices.
Considered a type of behind-the-ear hearing aid, “open fit” devices fit behind the ear and connect to a narrow tube that enters the ear canal.
Open fit hearing aids are less visible than other BTEs and allow the ear canal to remain open, which can make your own voice sound better to you. This also helps avoid a “plugged up” feeling and prevents earwax buildup on the device.
This type of hearing aid may be best for those with mild to moderate high-frequency hearing loss. The design of open fit hearing aids allows low-frequency sounds to enter the ear naturally, while amplifying high-frequency sounds.
Assistive Listening Devices
In some cases, assistive listening devices (ALDs) may be recommended when hearing aids alone are insufficient to rectify a patient's hearing problems.
Sometimes referred to as hearing aid accessories, ALDs help amplifies sound you want to hear – especially when there is a lot of background noise – such as when watching television, talking on the phone, or listening to conversations while in large facilities like classrooms, theaters, airports, and more.
Listening and Communication Enhancement (LACE)
Listening and communication enhancement (LACE) training can help patients develop better listening skills when in difficult listening situations. This auditory training offers a type of strategy that allows patients with inadequate hearing to cope in certain hard-to-hear environments. Our audiologist may recommend LACE for patients whose hearing issues are not severe enough to require a hearing aid.
Customized Ear Protection
Are you living, working, or playing in an environment that may be causing lasting damage to your hearing? Take steps now to protect your ears and your hearing with custom-made ear molds and protective devices that can help prevent the kind of damage that leads to hearing loss.
At Georgetown Better Hearing Center, we can take impressions and fit you for ear protection perfectly suited for you. This is ideal for construction workers, musicians, and others working in the music profession, as well as swimmers and other athletes. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Do something to protect your hearing now – before you lose it.
Hearing Aid Sales & Service in Georgetown, Texas
If your hearing loss is making conversation difficult, why not fix it? A hearing aid – no surgery involved – may do wonders to improve your quality of life if it’s becoming hard to hear. Find out more about your hearing aid options by calling Georgetown ENT in Georgetown, Texas, at (512) 869-0604 or request your appointment now. Georgetown Better Hearing at Georgetown ENT has a wide selection of hearing aids and customized ear plugs for sale.
