Considering the cost of high quality hearing aids, many people logically wonder whether they really need two hearing aids, or if they can make do with only one. The majority of hearing specialists will state that the benefits of using two hearing aids greatly outweigh the added cost, but to be fair let’s begin with the reasons why some people don’t require two.
First, if you have hearing loss in only one ear but your hearing in the other is normal, you obviously don’t need a second hearing aid. Conversely, if you are totally 100% deaf in one ear, there is no point in having a second hearing aid. If you are prone to recurring ear infections, wearing hearing aids can potentially make the situation worse, so wearing a single aid might be an advantage. There are also hearing loss conditions in which the sounds of speech heard in one ear are completely garbled, and in that case wearing a hearing aid in that ear is merely going to amplify the garbled sounds, which makes it harder for your brain to understand speech heard through your other ear.
Outside of these four situations, the arguments for using two hearing aids are fairly strong and backed up by numerous consumer satisfaction surveys among hearing aid users. You will hear a more realistic sound panorama while wearing two hearing aids, and you will also be more able to pinpoint the location of the sounds that you hear. Studies have shown that most people are able to hear and understand speech better when wearing two aids, because the perceived volume of sound is higher with two hearing aids, which is even more true in a noisy environment.
If you have hearing loss in both ears, wearing two hearing aids will enable you to keep stimulating both ears, whereas wearing only one can allow the other ear to deteriorate further from lack of use. Two hearing aids are almost always better for people who have tinnitus, because hearing aids mask the ringing or buzzing sound, and wearing only one aid will allow it to continue in the other ear. Last but not least, clinical studies and customer surveys have shown that users find wearing two hearing aids much less tiring than wearing only one.
All told, the case for wearing two hearing aids is more persuasive than the case for wearing only one. But if you still have your doubts, test it for yourself by making an appointment to see us. You will be able to hear the difference for yourself between one hearing aid and two. Our many years of experience lead us to believe that when you make your decision, you’ll agree with us that two are better than one.