Prescription Hearing Aids with On-Going Support By a Hearing Professional

Tragically, most people continue to get hung up on the outdated stigma attached to hearing aids because they envision those ugly, bulky, and frustrating devices their parents or grandparents used to wear. However, today’s hearing aid technology is far different from what it was a decade or two ago.

Prescription hearing aid at Utah Ear Institute
Hearing aid icon

Like cell phone technology, hearing aid technology has rapidly progressed over the past couple of decades, allowing manufacturers to produce devices that are smaller, lighter, more stylish, and more discreet but with much greater processing power. Modern hearing aids produce natural sound clarity, control background noise, eliminate feedback, and enhance speech.

Other advanced hearing aid technologies include long-lasting rechargeable batteries and the capacity to connect digital devices, such as your cell phone, television, and computer, directly to your hearing device. Now that you’ve started to let go of the stigma surrounding hearing aids, you might be wondering,

“Is there a place to get advanced technology hearing aids near me?”

You’re in luck! Our Utah Ear Institute audiologists in Bountiful, Tooele, Park City and West Valley City provide advanced technology hearing aids for individuals who need a little help with their hearing throughout Northern Utah.

We Partner with Major Hearing Aid Manufacturers

We provide a broad range of choices in order to help our patients find the right device to fit their unique needs and lifestyle with hearing aid solutions from brand name manufacturers, such as:

Our Selection Process
and Ongoing Support

Hearing aids come in a variety of sizes, colors, costs, and designs with different levels of technology and features, which can make it difficult to choose the right one. Rest assured that our hearing care professionals will help guide you through the selection process by considering your needs and preferences, which might include:
Besides helping you through the selection process and fitting you with the right hearing aids, our ongoing support includes:
  • The amount of processing power required to address your specific hearing challenges
  • Accommodating your manual dexterity and visual capabilities
  • Meeting your budget (including insurance)
  • Addressing your wearing discretion and cosmetic concerns
  • Accounting for skin sensitivities
  • Addressing anatomical and/or medical considerations
  • Education, Counseling, and Support
  • Reprogramming
  • Free Clean & Checks (scheduled maintenance)
  • Troubleshooting
  • Hearing Aid Repair
Hearing aids come in a variety of sizes, colors, costs, and designs with different levels of technology and features, which can make it difficult to choose the right one. Rest assured that our hearing care professionals will help guide you through the selection process by considering your needs and preferences, which might include:
  • The amount of processing power required to address your specific hearing challenges
  • Accommodating your manual dexterity and visual capabilities
  • Meeting your budget (including insurance)
  • Addressing your wearing discretion and cosmetic concerns
  • Accounting for skin sensitivities
  • Addressing anatomical and/or medical considerations
Besides helping you through the selection process and fitting you with the right hearing aids, our ongoing support includes:
  • Education, Counseling, and Support
  • Reprogramming
  • Free Clean & Checks (scheduled maintenance)
  • Troubleshooting
  • Hearing Aid Repair

What Our Delighted Patients Say

Frequently Asked Questions

Are hearing aids right for me?

Have your family and friends been telling you to get your hearing checked? Do you struggle to communicate well with others, is it a challenge to keep up with your active and independent lifestyle, or is it becoming difficult to enjoy conversations in a noisy restaurant or at a social event?

If you’re experiencing these and other challenges related to your hearing, hearing aids can help limit any damage that has already occurred while making it possible to get back to living the quality of life you’ve gotten used to, thanks to better hearing, but your first step is to know the truth about your hearing with a comprehensive hearing assessment.

Can a hearing aid cure my hearing loss?

No. Hearing aids provide assistance through sound processing that helps clarify and amplify, but they cannot restore the natural functioning of your ear. However, if you are experiencing a hearing loss, wearing hearing aids can slow the progression of hearing deterioration, limit cognitive decline, alleviate tinnitus symptoms, and help correct balance and vertigo issues.

How long do hearing aids last?

Most hearing aids last five to seven years if they are well taken care of (daily cleaning, regular scheduled maintenance, tune-ups, and repair), but in order to take advantage of the newest technologies in a rapidly developing industry, most audiologists advise their patients to upgrade every five years.

Do hearing aids use special batteries?

Yes. Most use zinc-air batteries that are specifically designed for hearing aids. It is not difficult to find the right size and type of batteries for your hearing aids in most pharmacies and supermarkets.

How long do hearing aid batteries last?

Smaller batteries need to be changed weekly while larger batteries might go two or three weeks before losing their charge. In addition to size, type, and quality of battery, the number of hours per day you wear your hearing aids and whether they are exposed to a lot of moisture will also affect the service life of your hearing aid batteries.

How long does it take to get used to hearing aids?

Getting used to hearing aids varies from one person to the next. Your brain undergoes traumatic shock when processed sounds from your hearing aids arrive in your brain’s central auditory system, so your brain needs some time to acclimate and relearn how to process new sounds, sounds it hasn’t heard in a while, and amplified sounds.

Manufacturers typically allow a 60-day trial period, which is ample time for most people to adjust to their hearing aids and evaluate their benefits. Your hearing care provider will provide you with ongoing adjustments, counseling, technical support, and coping strategies while you go through the adjustment process.

Why do hearing aids cost so much?

The research and development that goes into hearing aids and the industry standard one- to two-year warranty for replacement and repairs as well as the fact that they are sold in relatively low volume (about 1.7 million hearing aids for some 30 million people with a hearing loss) are all factors in determining the purchase price. However, when compared to the cost of leaving your hearing untreated, they are an enormous bargain.

In-the-Ear (ITE) Hearing Aid Styles

ITE hearing aids combine the processor and speaker of the hearing aid in a single casing. The variation between different types of ITE hearing aids involves its size and where it is positioned in the ear. They are often favored by those who wear glasses or use an oxygen cannula as well as those who desire increased wearing discretion.

Full shell models sit flush within the outer ear bowl. Their size allows the maximum number of additional controls and features such as directional microphones, which require space on the outer portion of the instrument. They use a larger battery size than the smaller styles and can fit a larger receiver with enough power for even some severe hearing losses. Because of their flexibility, they’re widely recommended for mild-to-severe hearing loss.

ITC instruments sit inside the lower portion of the outer ear bowl, making them comfortable and easy to use. Because they’re slightly larger than CIC models, they have a longer battery life and can host additional features such as directional microphones for better understanding in noisy environments and controls, such as volume controls. They fit mild and moderate hearing losses.

A smaller custom style, CIC instruments fit deeply and entirely within the ear canal. They work for those with a mild-to-moderate hearing loss and offer high cosmetic appeal, as they’re nearly invisible when worn.

The smallest custom style, IIC instruments sit invisibly in or past the second bend of the ear canal. IIC devices are specifically designed for mild-to-moderate hearing loss.

Behind-the-Ear (BTE) Hearing Aid Styles

BTE hearing aids include a processing unit that rests behind the ear. This style transmits processed sounds from the processing unit to the earmold, eartip, or speaker by using acoustical tubing or small electrical wires, depending on the specific type. They usually have greater processing power than ITE devices and have manual programming buttons and/or dials.

BTEs with earmolds fit mild through profound hearing losses. Their longer shape follows the contour behind the outer ear and can house many features. Processed sound passes through acoustical tubing to an earmold that can be custom formed to match the contours of the outer ear canal.

Mini BTEs hide behind the outer ear and have ultra-thin tubing to discreetly route sound into the ear. The tubing connects to a soft tip that sits in the ear canal but doesn’t occlude it. Known as “open fitting,” airflow and sound enter the ear naturally around the tip while amplified sound enters through the tip.

RIC models are mini BTEs that have the speaker of the instrument incorporated in the ear tip instead of in the main body of the instrument. RIC instruments fit mild-to-severe hearing losses. This hearing aid style looks similar to the Mini BTE when worn on the ear.

Schedule an Appointment

The increase of online and OTC hearing aid dispensers and easy access for people to self-diagnose and self-treat their hearing challenges have increased the risk of worsening the damage to your hearing by using the wrong or poorly programmed device. The safer option is to consult with a licensed audiologist like those at Utah Ear Institute for a comprehensive, professional hearing assessment, proper device selection, proper fitting, and ongoing support.

If you are looking to solve your hearing challenges rather than exacerbate them, start a hearing care partnership with our doctors of audiology by submitting the adjacent form to schedule a hearing assessment.

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