After months (possibly even years) of waiting, you’ve finally decided to give us a call to see if you need hearing aids. Like many, you’ve been resisting this. But the stress of living life without being able to hear has finally become too much.
So it’s a bit disheartening when you’re at the hearing specialist’s office and you find out that you’re going to need to wait another couple of weeks for custom fit hearing aids.
That’s another two weeks coping with those lost moments before you can begin getting them back. But you could try a basic little device add on known as a hearing aid dome instead.
What exactly is a hearing aid dome?
Doesn’t that sound sort of epic? Like some kind of arena where hearing aids duel in ancient, mythical combat. Welcome to the Hearing Aid Dome: Two hearing aids enter…but only one leaves!
It’s not really that thrilling. But they are rather neat. Hearing aid domes are put on the end of your hearing aid speakers like little earbuds. Generally made of plastic or silicone, they fit over that little bit that goes inside your ear canal, connecting to the tubing of your hearing aid. You can use them with both behind-the-ear and in-ear models. And they generally do two things:
- They position the hearing aid speaker (the bit that you listen to) in an optimal position inside of your ear canal. And they position the speaker so it won’t move around in your ear.
- On occasion, outside sound can impede the sound of your hearing aid and hearing aid domes help avoid that by controlling the amount of outside sound. Hearing aid domes work to enhance the sound clarity and offer an extra bit of control when used properly.
Domes for hearing aids look sort of like those bulbs at the end of your earbuds. There are several hearing aid dome styles, so we will help you pick the one that’s best for your situation.
What is the difference between hearing aid domes?
Open types and closed types each let in different amounts of background sound.
Hearing aid domes come in different types, including:
Open Domes
These have holes in the dome that allow more outside sound to pass through and into your ears. This helps your ear process natural sounds along with the advantage of amplification.
Closed Domes
These domes let less external sound in through fewer and smaller holes. For people with more profound hearing loss, ambient noise can be really distracting and this type of dome can help with that.
Power Domes
Power domes don’t have any holes and completely block outside sounds. With these, nearly no external sound can get in. These are most practical for extremely profound hearing loss.
Do hearing aid domes need to be changed?
For best results, you should swap out your hearing aid domes every 2-3 months (your ears are not the dirtiest place, but they aren’t the cleanest, either).
Hearing aid domes can usually be used right out of the box. That’s one of the greatest things about them.
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:
- Everything sounds a little more natural: By choosing the correct hearing aid dome type, you can guarantee that your hearing aids generate a natural overall sound and improved sound clarity. Most likely, some sound will still get through and that’s the reason for this. Once again, this depends on the type of dome, and we will help you with this.
- No fitting time: Not having to wait is one of the best advantages of hearing aid domes. You can un-box them, pop them on your hearing aid and you’re good to go. This is an ideal option 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. With hearing aid domes, you don’t have to sacrifice sound clarity to get faster results.
- You can hear your own voice: Some hearing aid domes are created to let a natural level of sound come in. So you will still be able to hear your own voice. This makes the clarity of sound seem much more natural, which means you’re likely to use your hearing aids far more often.
- Hearing aid domes can be more discrete: Hearing aid domes aren’t very big, especially when they’re in your ear. They’re rather discrete in this way.
And again, this will mean you’re less likely to leave your hearing aid sitting in a drawer.
Are there drawbacks to hearing aid domes?
As with any hearing device or medical procedure, there are some drawbacks and trade-offs to hearing aid domes, trade=offs you’ll want to consider before deciding. Among the most prevalent are the following:
- They can at times be uncomfortable: Having something filling the ear canal can be very uncomfortable for some people. Some individuals find this feeling, called “occlusion” by hearing specialist, extremely uncomfortable. Also, your hearing aid dome can become stuck in your ear if you pull it out too quickly or if you don’t keep it clean. If this happens, you’ll most likely need to come see us to have it removed.
- Occasionally, they can cause feedback: Feedback, though not that common, sometimes does happen. For individuals who are dealing with high frequency hearing loss, this is especially true.
- Some forms of hearing loss aren’t suited for hearing aid domes: As an illustration, hearing aid domes won’t be the best choice if you have high frequency hearing loss or profound hearing loss. For those with high-frequency hearing loss, once again, it’s the feedback that becomes the issue. It’s the hearing aid itself that’s an issue with profound hearing loss: you’ll need something that’s larger and which has more power than the types commonly associated with hearing aid domes.
So are hearing aid domes right for me?
It’s largely a personal choice whether you use hearing aid domes. It’s up to you but we can help. And we will be able to help you understand all the pros and cons related to your unique hearing health.
Some people may be better off waiting for a custom fitting. For other people, the quick results of hearing aids you can wear today will create healthy, lifelong hearing habits.
You’ve got options and that’s the good thing.