Hearing Aids

Hearing loss is a disorder that can have drastic effects on an individual, both in private and socially. However, with successful treatment, patients can experience not only better hearing and a clearer understanding of speech, but an enhanced quality of life as well. According to the Better Hearing Institute, patients receiving treatment with hearing aids and other hearing loss devices, including assistive listening devices, can show improvement in their interpersonal relationships and social lives; reductions in frustration, anger, anxiety, and fatigue; and even, in some cases, greater earning power. At Red Hat Audiology, we are dedicated to improving lives by providing quality hearing aids to patients from the Silver Spring, Olney, Rockville, Wheaton, Aspen Hill and other Maryland areas.

• Exceptional Hearing Aids
• Analog vs. Digital Hearing Aids
• Adjusting to Your New Hearing Aids
• Are two hearing aids better than one?

Whether you are looking for analog or digital devices, we provide state-of-the-art hearing aids at Red Hat Audiology. We carry hearing aids from top brands, including:

• Oticon®
• Siemens®
• Widex®
• GN ReSound®
• Phonak®
• Starkey®

We also offer a 45-day trial period and special discounts and financing options on all hearing aids.

At the Red Hat Audiology, we are proud to feature the Oticon® Delta, the latest in technology for digital hearing aids. The Delta is a tiny, yet sophisticated, hearing aid device with high-tech artificial intelligence technology for high-quality sound. The technology allows the Delta to analyze and automatically adjust to the noise around you so that sounds in the environment seem sharper and clearer. The Oticon® Delta also comes in 17 stylish colors for you to choose from.

Patients can experience not only enhanced hearing, but an enhanced quality of life as well. The Oticon® Delta allows patients to maintain their social activity levels, perform better on the job, and engage in conversations in noisy environments. In 2006, before the hearing aid was officially introduced, the Oticon® Delta won the Red Dot Design Award for pioneering design. Discuss the Oticon® Delta with the professionals of Red Hat Audiology to learn more about the hearing aid's benefits and features.

We also offer the new Destiny hearing aid from Starkey.  Destiny is the only hearing instrument built with cutting-edge nFusion Technology, offering superior sound quality, comfort, convenience and virtually no feedback. This technology is a scientific breakthrough that uses nanoscience to create the clearest sound possible and is fully automatic. 

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A number of remarkable developments in hearing aid technology and its ability to clarify speech and reduce background noise have come to fruition in the past few years. Our audiology team is proud to feature the most advanced hearing aids as it strives to help patients experience the beauty of sound once more. Since different hearing aids work better for different people, we provide a wide selection of both analog and digital hearing aids to assist our patients.

Analog hearing aids are the least expensive type of hearing aids. They amplify all sounds equally for better hearing, but they cannot differentiate between speech and noise which can make it harder for you to understand the people around you. Also, extremely loud or soft sounds may force wearers to adjust the volume on analog hearing aids frequently, although some of them can be programmed for different environments to give patients the best ability to hear the sounds around them. Analog hearing aids are best for patients who communicate in relatively quiet situations.

The latest technological advancements in hearing aids are digital. Digital hearing aids have revolutionized the way people with hearing loss hear sound. Far superior to their analog counterparts, digital hearing aids contain microchips that convert sound into digital code and then distinguish between speech and noise. Through this process, digital hearing aids suppress background noise to allow patients to hear and understand speech better. The resulting sound is more finely tuned to the severity of the wearer's hearing loss. Digital hearing aids can also be programmed for different environments to enable the best hearing. Digital hearing aids can be worn by almost everyone and are the preferred type of hearing aid technology. According to the Better Hearing Institute, more than 90 percent of all hearing aids sold are digital. For more information on the benefits of digital hearing aids, contact Red Hat Audiology which serves Silver Spring, Rockville, Olney, Wheaton, Aspen Hill and our sister offices which serve Bowie, Annapolis, and Greenbelt, Maryland.

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Although hearing improves significantly the moment an aid is put in the ear, adjusting to hearing aids can be a gradual process. Patients should notice a difference in hearing within minutes of inserting the aid. This sudden change happens because hearing loss occurs gradually over time, making it harder to notice the difference, while the sounds that a hearing aid amplifies are reintroduced to the brain much more suddenly. Patients may find that their own voices sound too loud, but most people get used to the new volume over time. In the past, patients may have experienced a whistling sound called feedback. With today's technology, however, feedback is virtually eliminated. Patients will also have to become re-accustomed to various sounds that they have lost the ability to hear over time. Realizing the full benefits of your new hearing aids can take as long as several months of adjustment.

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Two hearing aids are always better than one if the hearing loss is essentially symmetric. Worn together, the hearing aids will not make sound twice as loud, but instead they will restore stereophonic hearing, which makes conversational speech twice as clear, especially when background noise is present. The brain needs input from both ears in order to separate speech from unwanted noise. Wearing two hearing aids also allows the wearer to localize sounds better. Finally, wearing two hearing aids prevents a condition known as auditory deprivation in which the brain gradually loses some ability to process information from the unaided ear due to lack of sound stimulation.

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Dr. Newcomb provides state-of-the-art hearing aids to patients in Silver Spring, Bowie, Annapolis, Greenbelt Maryland and everywhere in between. Contact Red Hat Audiology today to schedule an initial consultation. We also offer affordable financing options.