Hearing Aid Selection Tips

Figuring out how to pick the best hearing aid can have an enormous impact on the benefits that you can expect to receive from your device, as it’s vital that you can find your ideal match if you want to reap the best rewards from your hearing aid. There are many different features and factors that can influence your decision when it comes to picking the best hearing aid, including ease of use and visibility, but thankfully this guide aims to make the process of choosing the right hearing aid as simple as can be.

The three most common styles of hearing aid are in the ear (ITE), behind the ear (BTE) and in the canal (ITC), and learning more about these styles doesn’t have to be as difficult as you might imagine. Check below to uncover some key facts about the most popular hearing aid styles so that you can make a more informed decision when figuring out how to pick the best hearing aids!

In the Ear (ITE)

ITE hearing aids are placed just inside the external part of your ear. They are likely one of the medium types of hearing aid that you can purchase, however they do boast a variety of different features.

Pros:

• Help with many levels of hearing loss
• Custom made to fit your ear
• Easy to change settings
• Variety of useful features

Cons:

• Difficult to hide, very visible when worn
• May have a limited battery life

Behind the Ear (BTE)

BTE hearing aids are the largest hearing aid. They are worn behind your ear instead. BTE devices are one of the most popular choices of hearing aid.

Pros:

• Wide variety of shapes, styles and colors – including skin tones and hair shades
• One of the most popular types of hearing aid

Cons:

• Contain more components
• Wind noise in open spaces

In the Canal (ITC)

ITC hearing aids do not have external parts, as they are placed inside of your ear canal.

Pros:

• Essentially invisible
• Surprisingly comfortable
• Work notably well in loud locations

Cons:

• Harder to clean than other types
• May cause a closed-off feeling for some

Determine Your Unique Needs

Now you know what the best types of hearing aid are, you can work out your unique needs alongside your expert audiologist so that you can get matched up with the most suitable hearing aid type. There are a few key questions that you can ask yourself to help find the right hearing aid for you, starting off with – do I want my hearing aid to be seen?

This will help you to make a decision between an obvious device like an ITE or a less visible style like an ITC. You will also benefit from assessing the extent of your hearing loss, as options such as a BTE hearing aid would be better for those experiencing more severe symptoms due to the larger component sizes.