Our Products and Services
The following products and services are available through Best Hearing Center:
- Hearing evaluations in a sound treated booth for accurate results
- Hearing aid consultations at no cost to the patient
- Hearing aid repairs for all makes and models, even if the hearing aid was not purchased at our office.
- Simulation of an individual’s hearing loss for their friends or family to experience
- Free demonstrations of the latest hearing aid technology
- Custom made noise protection earplugs for those requiring hearing protectionCustom made swim earplugs for those
who require them.
- Custom made Cell Phone Earplugs for Hands-Free Operation (required in the City of Chicago).
- Hearing Aid Batteries for most types of Hearing Aids, at competitive prices.
- Assistive Devices (Amplified Phones, Bed Shaker Alarm Clocks, etc.)
- Hearing aid maintenance products (hearing aid dryers, dessicator blocks, etc.)
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New Hearing Aid Technology
Almost all of the hearing aids sold nowadays contain digital technology. This technology is not new, as you'll read later in this section. Digital hearing aids are programmed on our computers in the office for each individual’s hearing loss. The sounds coming into the aid are divided into numerous bands/channels and are adjusted by the microchip inside the hearing aid. Digital hearing aids utilize noise reduction circuitry that helps to optimize speech in the presence of noise. Most have automatic volume controls; so that, the individual no longer needs to worry about volume adjustments. Many also contain built in telephone amplifiers.
The introduction of digital hearing aid technology in 1994 has lead to better hearing aids being developed more quickly. Now with the ability of digital chips being modified and changed more easily, new products with innovative features appear on the market about every 6 months.
Digital technology is programmable on our computers, and these state of the art devices deliver a cleaner, quality sound. The incoming sounds are divided into numerous bands/channels and adjusted automatically by a microchip inside the hearing aid. Digital hearing aids utilize noise reduction circuitry that helps to optimize speech in the presence of noise. Most have automatic volume controls; so that the user no longer needs to adjust their own volume.
“Open Ear” technology (called this because the ear canal is not blocked) became popular recently. Many major hearing aid corporations make tiny behind-the-ear hearing aids in hair and skin colors that slip almost invisibly behind the top flap of your ear. The sound goes into your ear canal through a thin, clear tube. The tube stays in the ear canal with a small plastic dome that does not block up the entire ear canal. This allows the patients not to hear their voice too loudly, not hear themselves chew, and feel less stuffed up.
Another new development is a rechargeable hearing aid that plugs into a charger at night while you are sleeping. No more changing batteries or worrying when they may run out.
Many of the new technologies try to help amplify speech in noisy places, like restaurants. They utilize directional microphones and can turn off the back microphone to help reduce some of the noise.
Check out this link http://www.resoundpulse.ca/frontpage to view more information on the rechargeable hearing aid. The website http://www.trydotbyresound.com/index.html describes one of the miniature “Open Ear” devices.
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