What is Tinnitus
The Associated Audiologists team features professionals who have advanced training and experience in caring for patients with severe tinnitus. Susan E. Smittkamp, Au.D., Ph.D. sees patients with this condition in our Shawnee Mission clinic.
About Tinnitus
Tinnitus is the perception of sound when no external sound source is present. Tinnitus can take on any number of characteristics and is usually a sound that only you can hear. You can experience tinnitus that varies from soft to loud and from low to high pitch. Individuals describe their tinnitus in a number of ways, including a buzzing, clicking, ringing, white noise, and/or roaring sound. Although these descriptions are typical, there are no specific rules about how tinnitus is perceived. Each person’s experience can be different. Sound sensitivity is reduced tolerance to everyday sounds that are generally tolerated easily by most individuals. This can include sensitivity to louder sounds (hyperacusis) or softer sounds (misophonia, selective sound sensitivity, phonophobia).
According to the American Tinnitus Association (ATA), tinnitus is one of the most common health conditions in the United States, affecting approximately 45 million Americans to some degree. An estimated 20 million have symptoms severe enough that they seek medical attention, and approximately 2 million cannot function “normally” on a day-to-day basis. Hyperacusis occurs in an estimated 7.7 to 15% of Americans. The prevalence of misophonia and phonophobia is unknown.
Learn More About the Causes of Tinnitus and How to Manage It
A New Treatment Option for Tinnitus Relief
If you’ve been struggling with persistent ringing, buzzing, or noise in your ears, there is now an innovative treatment option available.
Lenire is an FDA-approved, evidence-based treatment designed to help reduce the severity of tinnitus. It combines sound therapy with gentle stimulation to help retrain how the brain responds to tinnitus signals.
How Lenire Works
Lenire uses a method called bimodal neuromodulation. During treatment:
- Customized sounds are delivered through Bluetooth headphones
- Gentle, safe pulses are applied to the tongue using a small device
- Together, these signals help your brain learn to pay less attention to tinnitus over time
Treatment is completed at home using a personalized plan guided by a trained hearing professional.
Get Started with Lenire
Our team is a trained provider of Lenire treatment and can help determine if you are a candidate.
Learn more about how Lenire works and what to expect from treatment.
Read Tinnitus Patient Steve Crusinberry’s Story
A shooting accident triggered bothersome tinnitus for 59-year-old Steve Crusinberry. Associated Audiologists helped Steve learn to manage his tinnitus using ear-level sound generators, daily meditation, journaling and concentration exercises. Now he’s “Steve 2.0” and living his best life!
