Maintaining your hearing aids well is the best way you have to ensure their proper functioning and extend their useful life. Your hearing care professional can help you in this task through the periodic checks that a good after-sales service should offer you, but you can also do little things for this purpose. Treat your hearing aids well, clean them regularly and, among other things, change the wax filters. Of course, your audiologist does it in each of his examinations but that does not mean that you can do it comfortably at home.

What is a wax filter and what is it for?

In custom hearing aids and RICs, the receiver of the hearing aid is located inside the ear canal. As we all know, cerumen, a liquid that serves to protect the ear, is generated in a totally natural way. It is very beneficial for our health but at the same time it is one of the main enemies of your hearing aids since it can be inserted into the receiver. For this, the manufacturers devised some small filters to prevent this from happening and thus not damage it. They simply function as a barrier in which earwax accumulate.

Are all filters the same?

In the market we can find different types of filters although we could divide them into two general categories:

  • Standards: there are several generic filters on the market, the most widespread being the Cerustop. This does not mean that they can be used in all hearing aids but that they are used by different manufacturers in different models of their choice.
  • Own designed: On the other hand, many brands also use filters of their own designed especially for a specific hearing aid model, such as the Cerushield filter that is used specifically for Phonak Audéo Paradise or Marvel hearing aids.

To find out what type of filter your hearing aids have, all you have to do is ask your audiologist. Of course, whatever the type, this filter must be changed periodically since they end up clogged with earwax and, therefore, preventing the sound from the receiver from being emitted as it should be.

How often should I change the filters?

Finally, we come to the crux of the matter. The usual thing is to change this filter approximately every two months but, being clear, the periodicity in which the filter should be changed depends a little on each person. There are people who generate much more wax than others, or more ventilated hearing aids that allow you to expel a lot of wax from your ear, or people who use anti-wax products to regularly clean their ear canal... Therefore, the best thing you can do is observe how it is your case. Think that when it is necessary to change the filter you will notice it since you will have the feeling that the volume of your hearing aid is lower and it may even seem that it does not work. At that moment, you will discover how often you must change the filter.

At Claso, we change the filters of your hearing aids in each revision we carry out but we consider that you should have the possibility of doing it yourself since you do not always have the time necessary to visit our centers. And because, in line with our philosophy, we believe that you should feel as independent and empowered as possible. At Claso, we always try to give you the maximum of tools to make you feel that way.