Audiological Evaluation Services
Audiological Evaluations
These are important medical-grade examinations that help us guide you to the best treatment for your hearing situation. These tests show the degree of your hearing loss and also the potential cause. Evaluations include measures of hearing sensitivity for Air and Bone conducted sounds and measures of Speech Discrimination ability in quiet and real-world background noise. Further evaluations of the middle ear function and auditory processing are available when necessary.
Diagnosis, Counseling, & Treatment
With these results we can guide you on the likely causes of your hearing loss and what type of treatment is best – medical, surgical, or hearing technology. We make the right referrals to physicians/surgeons or have a discussion with you about using hearing aid technology if that is your best treatment.
Hearing Enhancement and Improvement Services
Hearing Aids
Since 85% of people with hearing loss can be helped with hearing aids, we use all proven technologies to help you regain your ease of communication. There are many brands of hearing aids and lots of choices of channels, microphones, size, etc, etc. Dr. Mills and Dr. Chesnut will help you navigate all of these choices to find the best solution for your individual needs. Click here to find more information about Hearing Aids.
Hearing Aid Prescription & Fitting
From your audiogram (hearing test) our audiologists can prescribe, recommend, and dispense a variety of hearing aids from many manufacturers. We select leaders in the field of hearing aid innovation.
We can also service and repair most makes and models of hearing instruments.
The Best Technology
If your evaluation and prescription show that hearing aids may be helpful we are in a unique position to help you improve your hearing clarity.
Since we are completely independent we can use technology from many leaders in hearing aid innovation: Starkey Hearing, Oticon, Unitron Hearing, Phonak, ReSound, Widex, and Signia. Even better, since we only use well-established manufacturers, any of our hearing aids can be adjusted by other audiologists if you move away.
6-10 Week Evaluation Period
On all new hearing aids, we provide an uncommonly long 6-10 week trial period. During these initial weeks we make all necessary adjustments and perform verification tests to properly set your hearing level. It often requires the brain 6-week to adapt to better hearing so by the end of the trial period you’ll be fully adapted to your improved hearing.
If your hearing aids are not meeting your needs we can exchange them for another type or manufacturer and your trial period starts over. Or, you may elect to stop the trial and simply return your hearing aids for a refund.
Warranty and peace of mind.
We offer a 3-year comprehensive warranty on most of our hearing aids. This provides coverage for damage or repair during your first three years. If your hearing aid is sent for repair we can often provide a loaner instrument for use during that time. Emergency/same day appointments are typically available.
FREE services during your 3-year warranty, including:
- Quarterly cleanings
- Adjustment and computer reprogramming
- In office repairs and maintenance
- In office modifications
- Batteries for the initial year
- Loaner hearing aids
Technology customized to meet your needs.
We take the time to understand you and your hearing experience so that our recommendations are appropriate for your lifestyle.
Musician & Hi Fidelity Products
Musicians have unique needs to protect their hearing from excessive volume. Regular noise protectors offer too much sound reduction, particularly in the low frequencies. This can affect how they hear tonal balance and perceive other singers and musicians. There are many specialty products available to overcome these limitations; custom in-the-ear monitors, custom high-fidelity earplugs with acoustic filters, and generic flat frequency response earplugs.
As musicians, both Dr. Mills and Dr. Chesnut are very aware of these products and how they can be used to offer the best fidelity and greatest hearing protection.
Click here to learn more about specific products for Musicians and Music Lovers.
Hearing Protection
Our ears are frequently subjected to loud noise from our noisy lives; hobbies like hunting, shooting, and racing; enjoyments like music, performance, and woodworking; homeowner chores like chainsawing, home repair, and even vacuuming. These sounds often exceed safe levels and can even create permanent hearing loss with single exposures. More commonly damage occurs with repeated exposures over a period of time.
A wide variety of hearing protection available for specific purposes. Active custom electronic hearing protectors are used for hunting, racing, and musicians. Passive custom earplugs with filters are appropriate for more common exposures where speech still needs to be understood despite the noise; target shooting, industrial protection, even some music applications. Passive custom earplugs without filters are the most basic protectors that provide the greatest protection against all offending sounds. Typically ear impressions are required for most personal hearing protective devices.
Click here to learn more about specific Hearing Protection products.
Dr. Mills is experienced with most forms of personal hearing protection and can provide direction on what is most appropriate for your particular need.
Hearing Enhancement Devices
Affordable devices to hear more clearly on the telephone, the television, and other places where you have particular trouble hearing.
