Our Tinnitus Relief Plan
Medical Clearance by an Ent Specialist. Hear Well Again Centers has had a professional relationship with Berger/Henry ENT specialty group since its begining 24 years ago. For your convenience this medical examination can be scheduled at any of the five Berger/Henry ENT specialty group locations that are also Hear Well Again medical affiliate centers where we could see you as well. In our other locations you can have your hearing evaluated and then try devices and concurrently make an appointment with a medical specialist. To save you time you should bring along a copy of our audiological evaluation.
Audiological Evaluation
The audiological evaluation includes pure tone threshold and speech threshold testing. Speech discrimination in quiet and with competing noise, your loudness tolerance, condition of your middle ear with tympanometry and inner ear with cochlear otpacoustics emissions can also be measured as part of this evaluation.
Tinnitus Matching And Evaluation
Hear Well Again Centers assessment of tinnitus can begin with our in-depth questionnaire covering: Tinnitus Description, History, Medical and Health Information, Hearing History, Noise Exposure along with Tinnitus Attributes and Severity. Those patients with Medical Clearance from a medical specialist can skip the assessment of tinnitus and be seen for Tinnitus Matching and hearing aid/Tinnitus noise generator evaluation.
Tinnitus Treatment - Sound Therapy
There is a good chance that tinnitus can at least be alleviated with sound therapy. In many cases it has been completely masked. Hear Well Again Centers provides sound solutions to alleviate and habituate tinnitus. The primary treatment modality with tinnitus masking is the use of wearable ear-level devices—tinnitus noise generators for masking, hearing aids, or combination instruments. Patients with hearing loss and tinnitus often use their hearing aids for tinnitus relief, while patients who do not have significant hearing loss will generally be subscribed open ear hearing instruments with tinnitus noise generator programs.
People can learn to ignore their tinnitus. Sounds can not only distract attention away from tinnitus, but it can also affect the overall quality of the tinnitus. These techniques consist of two main components — directive counseling and low level sound generation. Directive counseling provides intensive, individualized education regarding the causes and effects of tinnitus on the ear, the brain, and the coping mechanism. Low-level sound generators produce broadband noise via hearing aids or other devices at a soft enough level so that the brain perceives both the noise and the tinnitus. Eventually, the brain may relearn a pattern that will de-emphasize the importance of the tinnitus. These devices also may be helpful in desensitizing those who are overly sensitive to sound.
If amplifying and clarifying speech is needed, digital hearing aids would be part of the sound solution. While it is not clear whether hearing aids help by amplifying background sounds that can mask out the tinnitus or by actually altering the production of tinnitus, most hearing aid wearers report at least some reduction in their tinnitus. This may be due to the reduction in contrast between tinnitus and silence, or because of the new stimulation provided to the brain.
If there is no hearing loss, tinnitus sound generation (TSG) devices may be able to initially mask and eventually habituate tinnitus. Siemens has eight multiple program/multiple microphone digital hearing aids that are also TSG devices. They can both generate various types of noise to mask tinnitus and amplify speech in a wide variety of listening environments. Amplifying background sound or producing background ambient noise can reduce the loudness or prominence of tinnitus. These devices can assist the wearer habituate to the tinnitus. They cover all four levels of Siemens hearing aid technology (increasing effectiveness of noise attenuation, speech enhancement, natural sound and comfort) and two styles – open ear and receiver-the-the canal. The hearing aid/tinnitus instrument fitting takes about an hour and may be performed after the hearing evaluation and tinnitus assessment.
Tinnitus Relief Can Be Risk Free and Affordable.
The examination and evaluation services as well as some rehabilitation aftercare can be covered by most health insurance plans. More and more plans provide at least some hearing aid coverage. For example, Medicare Advantage plans commonly contribute $500 to $1000 toward instruments. Federal Retiree Blue Cross/Blue Shield plans contribute $1250 per hearing aid and the balance can be financed interest free. A number of other plans provide even more hearing aid coverage.
As part of our Tinnitus Relief Plan we have a number of digital hearing aid/tinnitus sound generation (TSG) devices for you to try and experience.
Hear Well Again Center’s Amplify program can save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars and dramatically lower the cost of your new instruments. With Amplify, you no longer have to struggle with your hearing problem or tinnitus. You can get the devices you need. When combined with any other coverage, effective and easy Amplify stretches your budget.
Amplify, with DRC (Derived Referral Credits) can dramatically lower the cost of your digital instruments with just one or two referrals. DRC enables you to receive credit for any devices fit at Hear Well Again Centers on those people you referred as well as anyone they referred. With only one referral, Amplify makes it possible for you to acquire new advanced digital hearing aids at some of the lowest prices in America. If you want to improve your hearing and/or alleviate your tinnitus, you will want to obtain instruments with enough technology to meet your needs. Amplify referral credits can reduce the cost of even the most advanced digital instruments to as little as … FREE.