3 Reasons to Take Your Hearing Aids in for Repair

Even with the best of care, sometimes things go wrong. It happens with our cars, our eyeglasses, our houses, even our hearing aids. In fact, because you depend upon your hearing aids to improve your day-to-day quality of life, the thought of repairs is enough to give you pause. But if problems with your units aren’t solved by at-home troubleshooting, a professional evaluation is needed. Here are three reasons to take your hearing aids in for repair.

1. There is no sound or they won’t turn on

Sometimes this problem can be solved by performing a thorough cleaning on your units and checking to make sure you have fresh batteries. Take a good look at the volume controls to make certain they’re turned up and free of dirt or debris. Wax clogging the microphone input is the most common cause of no sound. But sometimes an at-home cleaning can’t reach the blockage, or there may be an issue with the microphone or receiver. If so, it’s time to see your audiologist for repair suggestions.

2. There is damage

Damage may be visible, and it may not. If you know that something happened to your hearing aids, such as they were dropped, accidentally stepped on, or the dog chewed on them, you will have to take them in for repair. Sometimes, cracked tubes in behind-the-ear hearing aids requires professional repairs.

You may not see the damage done to your units if you accidentally left them in extreme temperatures for some period of time, such as in a hot car in the summer or a cold glovebox in the winter. If your units accidentally got wet in the shower or swimming pool, you may not see any visual damage. But when you know that your hearing aids suffered an event of some sort that’s not good, it’s time for your audiologist to take a look.

3. There is feedback or whistling

Sometimes you can fix that annoying whistling by removing your hearing aids and reinserting them. When that doesn’t work, there may be a bigger problem. If you hear feedback or whistling every time your insert or remove your hearing aids, that likely means the fit is off. This problem requires a professional fix. Your audiologist may be able to adjust the fit of your earmold or may supply a new earpiece for a behind-the-ear hearing aid. Any internal issues with the microphone or speaker will have to be reviewed by the manufacturer.

These three reasons to take your hearing aid in for repair are the most commonly seen by audiologist and hearing aid manufacturers. But remember that your audiologist is there to help you, regardless of the problem. If you suspect that your hearing aids aren’t working properly, have your audiologist take a look at your units, perform a professional cleaning and determine if there’s cause for concern.