It is a general perception among the public that hearing aids can be fitted on silicon domes or large earmoulds. That is not true, there is a third option. This month I enjoyed assisting a couple of patients with micro earmoulds. Please read this article to learn more about alternate fitting options and their applications.
Alice's hearing aid - A Phonak Lumity hearing aid with a cshell fitting
Patient #1: Alice
Alice is 12 years old. She visited with her parent this month for an ear wax removal at our ear clinic in Dulwich. Right before the procedure, I noticed that she wears hearing aids, a pair of Phonak Sky Lumity fitted on vented power domes. After the microsuction cleaning I answered a few questions they had about the cleaning and maintenance of the hearing aids where I noticed that they had spent some £2500 on Alice's hearing aids and seemed to be worried that she may lose them during long school days.
Alice has some retention problems with the silicon domes and her parents were positive about trying Phonak cshell micro earmoulds for better retention and to avoid the risk of losing the hearing aids accidentally.
A pair of impressions were taken from Alice's ears in the same appointment. Two weeks later the family came back for a fitting. The silicon domes were replaced with Phonak cshell ear moulds (see above). Alice felt the moulds were comfortable and the sound of her Phonak Sky Lumity was even better. She did confirm that the overall hearing experience is richer and the streaming music sounds deeper and nicer too. We explained the cleaning procedure and answered a few questions they had.
Patient #2: John
John is retired. He lives in London but frequently travels to Devon to join his friends and enjoy boating and sailing leisure. His biggest fear is to lose one (or both) of his hearing aids while sailing. For that reason, he puts them in a safe place during the sailing trips which is not ideal at all as he loses a lot of fun. The other problem that he had with his hearing aids is that now and then he had to push them in the ear canal otherwise he and people around him would hear a loud feedback sound (his hearing is moderate to severe). This problem alone made him aware and at the edge at all times; often it took his attention and his engagement with the group away. On a follow-up appointment, he decided to go ahead with micro moulds. When fitted his hearing aids he loved the way they were held tight in the ear allowing him to forget about them and enjoy dinner and a long chat with friends. Also gradually he felt confident enough to keep his hearing aids on while on short sailing trips.
Patient #3: Sally
Sally is a musician with binaural tinnitus and severe high-frequency hearing loss. See below Sally's audiogram.
Sally's audiogram - Mild to severe high-frequency hearing loss
Her Oticon hearing aids were fitted on open fitting until she moved to SE London and came to our clinic for a hearing test and readjustment. Being a musician her hearing and her sense of sound is super sharp. She didn't like the frequency conversion settings done on her hearing aids so I helped her with a more natural sound setting, but then a high-pitch feedback was set off from time to time. She agreed to try micro moulds. The micromould placed the tip of the receiver deeper in the ear canal and allowed a better seal so I could apply the right gains in the high-frequency range. She loves it! She felt the sounds were brighter with micromould.
The above examples are only 3 applications of the micro moulds and how they help improve the acoustics of the fitting for certain patients with hearing aids.
What is a micro earmould?
A micro earmould is a very small earmould that holds the speaker unit of RIC hearing aids in your ear canal. Different hearing aid manufacturing companies call it a different name, but in simple terms, it is a shell made of silicon or acrylic or other material e.g. Titanium if you have an allergy to Silicon and Acrylic.
What are the benefits of micro moulds?
It creates a better seal in your ear canal compared to rubber domes. Also a better grip on the ear canal. As a result, your audiologist can:
Less feedback
a better sound quality in the range that your hearing loss is severe
your hearing aid has better anchoring hence a much better retention in the ear (popular among active people and young children with hearing aids)
Micro earmould compared to rubber domes
Who might benefit from micro mould for hearing aids?
A few groups of people can benefit from micro earmoulds:
Kids are always active and there is a good chance that they may lose their hearing aids without noticing it.
Active and sporty people (for the above reason)
People with retention problems with their hearing aids. The retention problem could be due to the shape of their ear canal; simply the little speaker unit doesn't stay in the ear canal for long, especially while talking or chewing food.
People who have to use earmoulds for audiological reasons as their hearing loss might be at the level that they need much more amplification in certain frequencies that conventional silicon domes may not be able to seal the ear canal well enough.
If you see yourself among any of the above 4 groups, please get in touch for a consultation in our ear clinics in East Dulwich or Crystal Palace.
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