Santa Clarita Hearing Center is an excellent choice for all of Santa Clarita’s hearing therapy and treatment needs. The competent audiologists, knowledgeable and professional care-givers and staff, flexible schedule, and tailored solutions make them the perfect option to provide you a personalized plan.
An important factor in understanding hearing health is knowledge on how the ear functions. Santa Clarita Hearing Center describes normal hearing function and summarizes in five steps.
The ear itself has three different regions, called the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear.
The visible outer ear is called the pinna or auricle. The different ridges and curves make it the perfect natural amplifier of sound. The ear canal is the other part of the outer ear. Earwax accumulates in the ear canal and is a protective barrier to the skin from bacteria and moisture.
The middle ear consists of a few pieces. The eardrum, the tympanic membrane, is the divider between the outer and middle ear. Although the membrane is extremely thin, the eardrum is made up of three layers, increasing its strength.
The ossicles are the three tiny bones of the middle ear located directly behind the tympanic membrane. Their job is to further amplify sound. The ossicles translate mechanical vibrations received at the eardrum into the inner ear.
The Eustachian tube is the air pressure equalizing system in the middle ear. It can be opened intentionally to equalize pressure in the ears, such as when flying in an airplane.
The inner ear is an organ deep within the temporal bone, located on both sides of the head above the outer ear. The inner ear has two main structures: the semicircular canals and the cochlea.
The semicircular canals do not contribute to hearing but assist in maintaining balance as we move. The cochlea is the hearing organ of the inner ear, which is a fluid-filled structure. The cochlea changes the mechanical vibrations from the eardrum and the ossicles into a sequence of electrical impulses. Sensory cells, called hair cells, bend in the cochlea as the fluid is disrupted by the mechanical vibrations. This bending of the hair cells causes electrical signals to be sent to the brain by way of the auditory nerve, according to the Santa Clarita Hearing Center’s website.
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Sound is transmitted through the air as sound waves from the environment and are gathered by the outer ear and sent down the ear canal to the eardrum.
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The sound waves cause the eardrum to vibrate, which sets the three tiny bones in the middle ear into motion.
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The motion of the three bones causes the fluid in the inner ear, or cochlea, to move.
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The movement of the fluid in the inner ear causes the hair cells in the cochlea to bend. The hair cells change the movement into electrical impulses.
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These electrical impulses are transmitted to the auditory nerve and up to the brain, where they are interpreted as sound.
For more information on how hearing works and treatment options, click here.
Santa Clarita Hearing Center was founded by Dr. Ginny Veloz, Au.D., who has worked as an audiologist and hearing doctor for over 20 years. At Santa Clarita Hearing Center, customers can expect to find the most modern hearing aid technology currently available. Offering a complete range of diagnostic hearing services, Santa Clarita Hearing Center performs comprehensive hearing evaluations, hearing aid fittings and repair. Additionally, they fit custom ear plugs and protection to treat customers’ medical hearing loss or tinnitus symptoms. With a wide range of hearing aid options to meet every budget and lifestyle, Santa Clarita Hearing Center focuses on delivering effective results with compassion, education and integrity.
23861 McBean Pkwy #D14
Valencia, CA 91355
