Every now and then you might encounter a couple of issues with your hearing aids, like a reduction in sound quality, discoloration or even a poor fit. When you start to come across these types of issues there’s usually one question on your mind; should I replace or repair my hearing aids?

Answering this question involves looking at a few different factors, from the age of your device to the features and styles.

Are you hearing aids getting old?

If you’ve had your hearing aids for more than five years, you might be interested in getting a new pair. This is generally because your hearing situation may have changed so you might benefit from different features or styles. Depending on what you use your hearing aids for you might find that you can get a better deal. However, if you hearing aids are relatively new and you don’t necessarily need added features, then it might be too early to replace them and it will be cheaper and more effective to just repair them. Your audiologist will work through this process with you.

Are you hearing aids custom-fit ones?

If you’ve had your hearing aids custom-made to fit your ears then it makes more sense to simply repair them than to replace them. This is because creating new fittings requires time and means you may need to continue your daily life without hearing aids for a while. This can be incredibly difficult for some people especially if they’ve grown used to using hearing aids for things like social outings. However, if you don’t have custom-made hearing aids then it may acceptable to simply replace them if it’s better for your financial situation.

Are your hearing aids performing as you expect them to?

If you’re experiencing issues with your hearing aids then you can usually bring them to your audiologist so that they can fix it. However, if you find yourself talking to your audiologist about features that your current hearing aids don’t have, then you may want to replace your hearing aids so that you can get a better experience. For instance, if your current hearing aids don’t work very well when you’re on the phone or if you’d like a better pair of hearing aids for listening to music, then you should discuss your options with your audiologist.

Are your hearing aids often malfunctioning?

If you’ve noticed that your hearing aids are malfunctioning on a regular basis then it could be a bad manufacturing process that is causing your specific type of hearing aid to constantly fail. As a result, you may want to replace your hearing aids with a completely different model or make so that you can continue using them without having to frequently visit your audiology to have them fixed. If your audiologist notices that you’re constantly bringing in broken hearing aids then they might also realize that your hearing aids could be subject to a manufacturing defect and should be replaced.