After months (possibly even years) of waiting, you’ve finally decided to give us a call to see if you should get hearing aids. You have been resisting this like so many other people. But the difficulty of going through life without being able to hear has finally become too hard to ignore.
So when you do finally come in and then you find out that you will still have to wait another couple of weeks before you obtain your custom fit hearing aids, it can be disheartening.
That means that you will be losing some of life’s treasured moments for two more weeks. Of course, there is another option: a deceptively simple device add-on, known as hearing aid domes.
What are hearing aid domes?
Doesn’t that sound sort of epic? Like hearing aids fighting in some kind of ancient mythical arena. Only one hearing aid can emerge victorious from the hearing aid dome.
Well, it’s a bit less exciting than that. But they are rather neat. Hearing aid domes are put on the end of your hearing aid speakers like tiny earbuds. Generally made of plastic or silicone, they fit around that little part that goes inside your ear canal, connecting to the tubing of your hearing aid. They’re made for both behind-the-ear or inside-the-ear-canal style hearing aids. And they basically do two things:
- They position the hearing aid speaker (the bit that you listen to) in an optimal position within your ear canal. And they secure the speaker so it won’t jiggle around inside of your ear.
- They can help control the amount of outside sound you hear, especially when that external sound can interfere with the functionality of your hearing aid. When used correctly, hearing aid domes give you some extra control and work to enhance sound clarity.
Those small bulbs at the end of earbuds are a lot like hearing aid domes. You will have to select the hearing aid dome that’s best for you from a number of types, and we can assist you in doing that.
Different types of hearing aid domes
Open types and closed types each let in different levels of ambient sound.
Hearing aid domes come in different types, including:
Open Domes
These have holes in the dome that allow more natural sound to get through and into your ears. You get the benefit of amplification while still being able to process external sounds.
Closed Domes
As the name implies, these domes have fewer holes and stop more ambient sound than open domes do. For people with more severe hearing loss, ambient noise can be quite distracting and this kind of dome can help with that.
Power Domes
Power domes totally block the ear canal and have no holes. With these, almost no external sound can get in. These domes will be best for people with extremely severe hearing impairment.
Do hearing aid domes need to be swapped out?
Every two to three months will be the best schedule for changing your hearing aid domes (your ears can be a bit unclean in there).
For most individuals, hearing aid domes can be worn right out of the box. As a matter of fact, that’s one of their biggest benefits.
How will I benefit by wearing hearing aid buds?
There are a number of reasons why hearing aid domes are popular. The most common advantages include the following:
- You can hear your own voice: A natural level of sound can get through some models of hearing aid domes. This means you will still be able to hear your own voice as you naturally would. You’re more likely to wear your hearing aids more if they sound clear and natural.
- The external world sounds more clear and natural: By finding the right hearing aid dome type, you can guarantee that your hearing aids produce a natural overall sound and improved sound clarity. More than likely, some sound will still get in and that’s the reason for this. Again, this depends on the type of dome, and we will help you with this.
- Hearing aid domes can be more discrete: Hearing aid domes aren’t very big, especially when they’re in your ear. In this way, they can be pretty discrete.
- No fitting time: Not having to wait is one of the greatest benefits of hearing aid domes. You can un-box them, pop them on your hearing aid and you’re ready to go. This is an ideal solution for people who don’t want to wait weeks for custom fit hearing aids. And if you want to demo a hearing aid before you buy it, they’re great for that too. For patients who want faster results, hearing aid domes can provide a way to accomplish that without compromising the quality of your sound clarity.
And, once again, this means many people are more likely to wear those hearing aids more often.
Are there downsides to hearing aid domes?
As with any hearing device or medical treatment, there are some downsides and trade-offs to hearing aid domes, trade=offs you’ll want to consider before making a decision. Here are a few of the most prevalent:
- They can sometimes be uncomfortable: Having something filling the ear canal can be really uncomfortable for some people. Some individuals find this feeling, called “occlusion” by hearing specialist, extremely uncomfortable. In addition, if you take your hearing aid dome out too quickly (or don’t clean it often enough), there’s the possibility that it may separate from the tubing and get stuck in your ear canal. If this occurs, you’ll likely need to come see us to have it removed.
- They can occasionally be more prone to feedback: Feedback isn’t necessarily common, but it does happen. For individuals who are dealing with high frequency hearing loss, this is especially true.
- Not suitable for all types of hearing loss: For instance, if you are suffering from profound hearing loss or high frequency hearing loss, hearing aid domes might not be the best solution for you. For those with high-frequency hearing loss, again, it’s the feedback that becomes the problem. For individuals who have profound hearing loss, it’s really the hearing aid itself that’s the problem: the type of hearing aid typically associated with hearing aid domes is usually not large or powerful enough for this form of hearing loss.
Should I get hearing aid domes?
It’s mostly a personal choice whether you use hearing aid domes. We can help but it’s your choice. And we will be able to walk you through all the pros and cons pertaining to your personal hearing health.
For some people, it might be worth waiting the extra two weeks for a custom-fit device. For other people, the quick results of hearing aids you can use today will create healthy, lifelong hearing habits.
The nice thing is that you have options.
