Hearing aid guides for West Bromwich

Choosing between behind the ear and in the ear styles

The shape of a hearing aid matters as much as the technology inside it. Behind the ear models sit over the top of the ear, with a thin tube directing sound into the canal. They tend to suit people who need more amplification, because the casing holds a larger battery and receiver.

In the ear styles fit directly into the bowl of the ear or deeper inside the canal. They are less visible and do not interfere with glasses or face masks. The trade-off is size: a smaller shell means a smaller battery, so they may need charging or replacing more often.

A specialist audiologist will look at the degree of hearing loss, the shape of the ear canal and daily habits before recommending one style over another. Someone who spends time outdoors in wind, for instance, might find a behind the ear model easier to manage. Read more about the differences between these two main designs and what each one means for comfort and sound quality.

What happens after the fitting appointment

Walking out with new hearing aids does not mean hearing perfectly straight away. The brain has been working around gaps in certain frequencies, sometimes for years. When those sounds return, traffic noise, cutlery clattering and even footsteps can feel loud at first. Specialist audiologists expect this adjustment period. They programme the aids to match the results of a hearing test, but they also leave room for the brain to adapt gradually. Volume and balance can be fine-tuned over follow-up appointments once the wearer knows what feels natural and what still needs work. Voices usually become clearer before everything else does. Wearing the aids for longer stretches each day helps the process along. Taking them out when things feel overwhelming is normal, but leaving them off for days slows the adjustment down. Read more about [getting used to new hearing aids](/latest/getting-used-to-new-hearing-aids) and what the first weeks actually sound like.

Keeping hearing aids clean and working properly

Moisture and earwax cause most of the problems people have with hearing aids. Both collect in small spaces where microphones and receivers sit, blocking sound or causing distortion.

Daily care takes only a minute or two. Wiping the casing with a dry cloth removes skin oils and dust. Checking the microphone ports and wax guards for blockages prevents muffled output. Specialist clinics supply small brushes and picks designed for this exact job, and using anything sharper risks pushing debris further in or scratching the components.

Batteries need attention too. Rechargeable models should go back on their charger every night, even if they still hold some power, because letting them drain completely shortens the battery lifespan over time. Disposable batteries should be stored somewhere cool and dry, away from coins or keys that could short-circuit them.

If sound quality drops suddenly, a blocked filter is usually the reason rather than a broken device. Learn the specific cleaning steps that keep hearing aids reliable month after month.

Why a hearing aid sometimes whistles

A high-pitched whistle from a hearing aid is called feedback. It happens when amplified sound escapes the ear canal, loops back into the microphone and gets amplified again. The result is a sharp squeal that stops only when the loop breaks.

Several things cause this. An ear mould that no longer fits snugly leaves a gap for sound to leak through. Weight loss, aging or even a change in how the aid sits behind the ear can open up that space. Earwax buildup reflects sound back out instead of letting it travel down the canal. Standing too close to a wall or holding a phone against the ear can trigger temporary feedback as well.

Specialist audiologists address whistling by checking the physical seal first, then adjusting the software settings if the fit is already tight. Modern hearing aids include feedback cancellation that reacts automatically, but heavy wax or a loose dome defeats it. Find out which fix applies when the whistling starts.

Whether one hearing aid is enough or two are needed

Hearing loss rarely affects both ears equally, but it almost always involves both to some degree. Fitting just one aid to the worse ear seems logical until the brain has to reconcile two different signals: one clear and amplified, the other distant and muffled.

Two hearing aids allow the brain to locate where sound comes from. Without input from both sides, judging the direction of a voice or a car horn becomes guesswork. Speech in noisy rooms improves because the brain uses the slight timing difference between ears to separate conversation from background clatter.

There are exceptions. If hearing in one ear is profoundly reduced and cannot benefit from amplification, a single aid on the better side makes sense. Budget constraints sometimes lead people to start with one and add the second later, though specialists generally advise against delaying if both ears qualify. Read through the reasons for and against wearing two devices and how the decision is made during a hearing test.