Cathy Kurth, a Scottsdale audiologist, has been selected by Starkey Laboratories, the nation's largest hearing aid manufacturer, to introduce a new three-point hearing aid cleaning process to this market.

The build-up of wax, lint. dirt and hair can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars for repairs or replacements for today's sophisticated hearing aid systems.

"Ear wax is the No. 1 cause of hearing-aid failure," Kurth said. "Hearing-aid failure is aggravated by wax and other debris which builds up around the microphone, diaphragm, battery and in some hearing aids, the micro-computer chip."

As a result, sounds become distorted and eventually lost.

The three point process, called Aura-care, uses a machine that absorbs moisture out of the hearing aid, vibrates and loosens the debris and vacuums out the system. A video monitor, called an otoscope used primarily to look inside the ear canal, also is used to see inside the hearing aid before and after the cleaning.

Kurth said the whole process takes less than 15 minutes.