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Hearing aid fitting: Your full guide

Last update on Sep, 20, 2024
Alitta Boechler

Alitta Boechler, Au.D./MBA

Audiologist, Product Marketing Senior Specialist

Hearing aids are highly personal. The right model, fit and subsequent adjustments can make them life-changing. On the flip side, uncomfortable, poorly fitting hearing aids lead to a suboptimal experience.

In this guide, Miracle-Ear Audiologist and Product Marketing Specialist Dr. Alitta Boechler, AuD offers a step-by-step look at the hearing aid fitting process and why it's so important in getting the best performance from your hearing aids.

Step 1: Take a professional hearing test

The first step in the hearing aid fitting process is not a fitting at all but a hearing test. You’ll meet with a hearing care professional (HCP) and undergo a series of evaluations to help identify the specific nature of your hearing loss. Consider bringing a loved one to your appointment to offer a second set of listening ears and to help offer insights on your hearing and lifestyle. A hearing test for hearing aids is a critical part of the fitting process to ensure your device addresses your unique hearing needs.

“When you think of over-the-counter [hearing aids] that aren't fit to you, they're just guessing at what sounds need to be louder,” Boechler says. “But the truth is we tend to lose certain parts of our hearing faster than others … So when it's fitted to your exact hearing loss, we can amplify exactly the sounds that matter to you and send those to your ear so that you have the best signal possible.” Your hearing test appointment is a multifaceted process. Here’s what you’ll experience in the office:

  • Discuss your hearing: You’ll start by talking with your HCP about your current hearing and the issues you face in daily life. “We ask things like, ‘Where are you having difficulty hearing?’ or ‘Are there certain people you're having difficulty hearing?’” Boechler says.
  • Otoscopy: The next step is to look in your ear. Your HCP will perform an otoscopy, which is the process of using a lighted scope to visually examine any issues that may be affecting hearing, like earwax or infection.
  • Hearing test: Your HCP will then administer a hearing test, playing sounds at different pitches and asking you to raise your hand or click a button when you hear the sounds. This determines the pitches you can hear and at what volume versus those that you struggle with.
  • Additional tests: To better understand the type of hearing loss you’re experiencing, your HCP will also perform bone and air conduction tests, which help to pinpoint exactly where the loss is happening and what’s causing it. These tests provide a deeper view of your hearing loss, allowing your HCP to tailor the best treatment for you. “Hearing loss for most people is in your inner ear, but you can have hearing problems in your outer ear, at your eardrum [and] in your brain,” Boechler says. “So, part of the hearing evaluation is determining where that hearing [loss] is.”
  • Additional tests: HCPs may also test your word recognition by having you repeat words in noise or in quiet. This lets the provider know how well you are understanding speech. Additional tests may also be completed based on your hearing needs.
hearing care professional at store

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Step 2: Discuss your lifestyle needs and hearing aid preferences

After your hearing exam, your HCP will ask some questions about your lifestyle. How active are you? Do you like to swim, jog, or boat? Do you enjoy listening to music or spend a lot of time in crowded meeting rooms?

Not every hearing aid is a good match for every lifestyle,” Boechler says. “For example, if you are very active, you may need a product that will sit very securely in your ear and be very water resistant.”

Understanding your lifestyle and what’s important to you gives your HCP more data to get a better fit and help you choose among different styles of hearing aids.

You and your HCP will also discuss your hearing aid preferences. Do you want a hearing aid that sits fully in the ear and is nearly invisible? Do you prefer something with advanced features like group conversation assistance?

These days, hearing aid wearers can choose from dozens of different styles of hearing aids. The choice can feel overwhelming, and that’s exactly why your HCP takes time to discuss your hearing aid preferences during this first visit. They will present you with their recommendations and the different options based on your hearing test results, preferences and lifestyle considerations. They can walk you through the benefits of each and answer any questions you have. 

Step 3: Choose your hearing aid

Once you have all the data from your hearing test and conversations, it’s time to choose your hearing aid model. Miracle-Ear has solutions for every lifestyle and budget, including discreet in-the-ear (ITE), receiver-in-canal (RIC) and behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aid models.

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Step 4: Take an impression of your ear

If you decide on a hearing aid style that includes a custom earpiece, your HCP will take a mold of your ear. “It’s kind of like a dental mold,” Boechler says, noting that it will capture an exact impression of your ear’s shape.

Your HCP will put a small piece of cotton or foam in the ear canal to protect your eardrum and then insert soft silicone into and around the ear. It takes about five minutes to harden. The mold ensures perfectly fitting hearing aids that are secure and comfortable in your ear, providing the best possible sound quality.

Step 5: Book appointment for your hearing aid fitting

Before you leave your initial hearing appointment, you’ll schedule a time for your hearing aid fitting appointment. Fitting hearing aids happens after your custom-ordered device comes in. 

Man wearing a hearing aid with dog and granddaughter

Need help with your hearing device?

If you’re having trouble with placing your hearing aids or removing them, don’t settle for a frustrating experience. Free lifetime aftercare is part of every Miracle-Ear purchase, and your hearing care professional (HCP) is there to help you with any challenges—no matter how small. Contact your neighborhood Miracle-Ear hearing center or stop by to get the help you need.

Step 6: Try on your hearing aids

Once your hearing aids are ready, you’ll revisit the Miracle-Ear office for a hearing aid fitting. Your HCP will have already received your hearing aids and checked them over to make sure everything is working.

“When you come into the office, we will put the hearing aids on you and program them specifically to your hearing loss,” Boechler says. “We will check the physical fit and make sure that it’s comfortable for you to wear, and then we can start doing programming.”

Custom hearing aid programming ensures your hearing aids are calibrated to your specific hearing and lifestyle needs, with different program settings available for different sound environments.

One critical step in the fitting process, according to Boechler, is the real ear measure (REM) test, which measures how the hearing aid is working inside your ear. “That’s going to make speech the clearest [so] you’re going to hear the best and you’re going to have the best quality sound.”

Step 7: Learn more about your hearing aid’s capabilities

Once your hearing aids have been properly fitted, your HCP will walk you through all the buttons, capabilities and instructions for caring for your new hearing aids.

They’ll ensure you understand how to replace your hearing aid battery (or charge it, if it’s a rechargeable style) and how to clean your hearing aids to keep them working their best. They’ll help you download the Miracle-Ear app on your phone and help connect your hearing aids, so you can easily make changes to programming from your phone. There, they’ll show you how to connect to Bluetooth® devices if you have Bluetooth-enabled hearing aids, and show you how to make adjustments for different listening environments and even navigate pre-set programs and settings.

Before leaving, you’ll also learn about Miracle-Ear’s industry-leading three-year warranty and the lifetime aftercare services* available when purchasing Miracle-Ear hearing aids.

Step 8: Adjust to your new hearing aids

As you leave the office, remember: you’re not alone. It can take time to adjust to your new hearing aids. With these new devices, you’ll hear in a way you haven’t heard before. As you go about daily life and use your hearing aids in all types of real-world settings, you may find you need to make some tweaks or adjust hearing aid settings.

“In a couple weeks, come back to the office, and we can continue to make adjustments and make it better for you,” Boechler says. “If you’re struggling to hear on the phone or to hear your grandchild’s voice, we can continue to refine the fitting [and programming] so it fits your specific needs.”

Boechler’s number one recommendation? Give yourself time and space to get used to hearing sounds in a new way. “It might be exhausting, but it’s a process that really pays off when you’re able to hear your grandchildren more clearly,” she says. 

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Frequently Asked Questions on hearing aid fitting

Your hearing aid should be comfortable after leaving your hearing aid fitting. However, if you’re asking yourself, “How can I make my hearing aid fit better?” something with the fit might not be quite right. If you are starting to get sore spots or the device is not staying in place, go back to your HCP for adjustments

Yes. For the most part, hearing aids need to be fitted for the best sound and results possible. Even if you choose a hearing aid style with a silicone dome earpiece versus a custom-molded earpiece, you’ll still need to get the device fitted to your specific hearing loss needs through custom programming. Some over-the-counter hearing aids exist for people with mild hearing loss, but they fall more into the category of sound amplification versus actual hearing improvement. 

Expect to spend one to one-and-a-half hours at each of the initial appointments (hearing test and fitting). Follow-up appointments should take about 15 to 30 minutes. 

If you’re wondering how to fit a hearing aid correctly, know that it’s not something you, as a hearing aid wearer, can do on your own. Hearing aid fittings are done by professionals. So, make an appointment with your HCP for a hearing test, and get the fitting process started

*Miracle-Ear® lifetime aftercare not included with hearing aids purchased utilizing some insurance benefits.

The Bluetooth ® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc.

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