Tinnitus Treatment
Symptoms • Causes • Treatments
What is Tinnitus?
There are rare cases where tinnitus is caused by blood vessel issues or a middle ear condition that your hearing specialist will be able to hear when they do an examination of your ears. This type of tinnitus is called “objective”. For the vast majority of tinnitus sufferers, the noise is phantom – meaning no one else can hear it. This much more common type of tinnitus is labeled “subjective”. For both objective and subjective tinnitus, the noise one hears is actually a symptom of another underlying medical issue – rather than a stand-alone medical concern. Some underlying medical issues that could cause tinnitus are earwax blockage, TMJ, or Meniere’s disease – although these are rather uncommon.
Hearing loss – either due to natural aging or noise exposure, accounts for a whopping 90% of people suffering from tinnitus. Chances are, if you are experiencing tinnitus, you also have a hearing loss.
Tinnitus Treatments
Unfortunately, there is not currently a cure for tinnitus – although there are quite a few treatment options that have been successful for many people. In order to effectively rule out other possible underlying medical conditions, you will need to undergo a full and comprehensive assessment to help us determine the cause of your tinnitus, and therefore develop an individualized treatment plan with you. Below are some treatment options that may work for you.
Relief technologies.
If you have hearing loss that can be treated with hearing aids, there are many powerful and successful tinnitus treatment therapies built into hearing aids.
Starkey Multiflex Tinnitus Therapy
ReSound Tinnitus Relief App
Oticon Tinnitus SoundSupport™
Phonak Tinnitus Balance Profile
These are not the only manufacturers that offer comprehensive tinnitus relief therapies and technologies. Most manufacturers offer direct support for people who experience tinnitus.
Other therapies
For those who do not have hearing loss that can be treated with hearing aids but still suffer tinnitus, there are also treatment options for you. We offer a comprehensive and successful tinnitus retraining therapy program, which combines counseling and sound therapy to help alter and lessen the way your brain perceives tinnitus. White noise machines or apps can be purchased to help drown out and mask tinnitus sounds, or cognitive behavioral therapy has worked to help people break negative thinking patterns that cause an emotional response to tinnitus.
Got Q's?
If you have questions about Oticon hearing devices, reach out to our friendly team to inquire. We aim to be a comprehensive hearing health care center, and will work tirelessly to meet your needs.