What are the Most Common Hearing Aid Repairs?

When it comes to your hearing aid, your hearing care provider is not only the best person to help you choose the right hearing aid for your lifestyle and hearing needs, but they are also the best people to turn to for advice on using and looking after your hearing aid. They can also fix things if and when they do go wrong. Knowing some of the most common hearing aid repairs may help you to pre-empt them and decide whether you need to get in touch with your hearing health professional.

Problems with the tubing

The tubing connects the hearing aid device to the earmold and carries the sound from a behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aid into the ear canal. The tubing can harden, crack and stretch over time and so needs regular replacing. It can also discolor and degrade over time due to debris and moisture. In most cases, replacements are really simple and this is something that your hearing health professional can help you with.

Damage to the earhook

The hook is a small part of an in-the-ear (ITE) hearing device that holds the device around the ear comfortably. As it is a separate element to the device itself, it can sometimes get bent out of shape or snapped. It is relatively easy to sort out – it can sometimes be bent out of place or the two pieces that are snapped can be glued back together. If this does not work, your hearing health professional will be able to sort it out cheaply.

Degradation of the ear mold

Over time, the part of the hearing aid device that sits in your ear, flush against your skin, will begin to degrade. It can lose its structure, which means it no longer fits properly in the ear. After a while, this may become painful and irritate your skin. Obviously, there is no way of repairing this and a new earmold will need to be made. Your hearing health professional will make a new mold based on the casts of your ears.

Broken microphones

When it comes to problems with volume or sounds from your hearing aid device, it is usually because of an issue with the microphone. The first thing to do is to make sure it is not a dead battery or a damaged battery. If it is not either of these, you should take it to the hearing care provider, who will be able to repair it or replace it as necessary.

Excess moisture

Your hearing health professional will advise you not to expose your hearing aid to excess moisture if possible. Some issues are relatively easy to fix – like a damaged tube – but if it gets into the inside electrical elements, it could render it irreparable. Do not wear your hearing aid when washing, bathing and swimming and keep it clean from earwax and dust. While some of the repairs are caused by everyday wear and tear, many can be avoided if you take care of the hearing aids.