Many people think of earwax as an annoyance and try to remove it from their ears with cotton swabs or by other means. The truth is, earwax is the primary way that your ear keeps itself clean and moisturized. For a person with healthy hearing, trying to remove the wax from your ears can actually do more harm than good. On the other hand, the same earwax that is necessary for good ear health can be the mortal enemy to people who wear hearing aids.
Hearing aids are an incredible device for anyone experiencing any level of hearing loss, but they do require some maintenance and upkeep. One of the main things that can affect the performance of or destroy your hearing aid is earwax. Hearing aid filters, or hearing aid wax guards, can both protect your hearing aid from permanent damage and keep it working at an optimal level.
About Wax Protection Systems
A wax guard or hearing aid filter is a small plastic screen that attaches to your hearing aid and acts as a barrier to keep ear wax from building up on the device and either blocking it or causing it to break. They also keep dust and other debris from entering your hearing aid and clogging it up. Hearing aids are small, intricate, electronic devices, and if earwax builds up on any of the component parts you may need an expert to clean it and have it working properly again. Wax guards act as a barrier, keeping debris from building up and clogging the amplifier, microphone, or receiver and keeping you out of the audiologist office.
The negative effects of ear wax on a hearing aid continues to be one of the biggest challenges for the hearing aid industry. The need for maintenance and repair is one of the biggest contributors to customer dissatisfaction and ear wax is one of the main reasons repairs and maintenance are needed. No matter how advanced hearing aids become, they are still small devices that rest in your ears and can be easily damaged if not taken care of or worn correctly.
What does a filter do in a hearing aid?
A hearing aid filter does just what the name implies, it filters ear wax, moisture, and other debris from reaching the small technical components of your hearing aid keeping the device safe. Because of the technical and intricate nature of a hearing aid, it is vital to keep them clean and free from clogging and hearing aid filters do just that. Just like the vast majority of people keep their iPhone or Android device in a protective case, your hearing aids are as technologically advanced and need that same form of protection. If ear wax or debris begin to affect your hearing aid, one trip to an audiologist or other expert will cost you considerably more than a pack of hearing aid filters, and they are very easy to find and very easy to change as well.
How often should I change the filter on my hearing aid?
There is not a hard and fast rule about how often you should change your hearing aid filter. Monthly changes are kind of the average, but the amount of ear wax that you produce can vary greatly from person to person. The best way to determine when a change is needed is to inspect the filters when you clean the units and you will be able to tell when they should be changed.
The key is to clean and inspect your hearing aids on a daily basis so that you never get in a situation where ear wax has built up unbeknownst to you and caused clogging or damage to your device. The good thing is that changing your hearing aid wax filter is simple and the only tools you need will be in the packaging of the filter you just purchased.
What if my hearing aids aren’t working correctly?
If your hearing aids are not working correctly, do not automatically try to fix them on your own. If it is as simple as wiping off some ear wax or reinserting your hearing aids in a different way, then you should do it, but sometimes it is not that simple. If you cannot figure out the cause of the malfunction or if it is too difficult to handle yourself, call your audiologist and allow them to help you. It is a lot better to pay a little up front to get your device working again than it is to start the process of purchasing hearing aids from scratch. Hearing aids become an integral part of your life pretty quickly, but do not forget that they are small electronic devices with an intricate and technical design so it is often worth it to call an expert when they are not working well.
