New Jersey’s Premier Tinnitus Center
Evaluations & Treatments

Tinnitus is a symptom usually described as a “noise” in the ears or head that does not come from the external environment.  Tinnitus awareness levels can range from annoying to debilitating.  It is important to remember that the symptom has many potential causes and is quite common.  According to the American Tinnitus Association, more than 50 million Americans experience tinnitus to a greater or lesser degree.

Common causes Among a range of others, common causes of tinnitus include hearing loss, exposure to loud noise, aging, head injury, stress, anxiety, dental issues, medications and ear disorders.  It is important to note that the causes of tinnitus can be physical and / or neurological.

Luckily, treatment is available.  As the only tinnitus specialist in the Howell area, we are here to identify and treat tinnitus patients of all ages.

A precise evaluation Our complete tinnitus evaluation is focused on determining the source and nature of the problem.  Our primary goal is to evaluate the status of the auditory system.  We will try to match the pitch and volume of the tinnitus, uncomfortable loudness levels, as well as the presence of tinnitus habituation (relief).  This provides information that can be used to establish treatment protocols.  Based on the results of the Tinnitus evaluation, further testing by a physician may be indicated.

Treatments tailored to your unique situation If hearing loss is detected during the course of you tinnitus evaluation, hearing aids may be recommended as a first step.  Hearing aids alone may prove to be enough to decrease a person’s awareness of their tinnitus.   Most additional tinnitus treatments require that the hearing loss be treated as a prerequisite or at least in combination with the treatments.

If hearing is loss is not the cause of the tinnitus, or a hearing aid is not providing enough relief, Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) is available.  During the course of this therapy, patients learn to filter out the effect of the tinnitus to greatly decrease the extent to which they notice it.  This therapy also helps improve and restore sensitivity to sound.  Another treatment called the Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment is also available.  It is similar to TRT but uses a customized music based device to stimulate the auditory pathway to promote neural plastic changes.  Over time, these new connections help the brain to filter out tinnitus disturbance providing long term relief of symptoms.  This patented treatment method is FDA approved.  Dr. Jennifer Elfert is the first provider in the state of New Jersey for the Neuromonics treatment.   Another additional treatment will be available in the near future and is called the Inhibitor. 
Please see the links on our links page for more information on these treatments.