After months (maybe even years) of waiting, you’ve finally decided to contact us to see if you need hearing aids. Like many other people, you’ve been resisting this. But the hassle, the lost moments, the missing conversations, they all finally became too much.
So it’s a bit discouraging when you’re sitting in the hearing specialist’s office and you learn that you’re going to need to wait another two weeks for custom fit hearing aids.
That means that you will be missing some of life’s precious moments for two more weeks. Of course, there is another option: a deceptively simple device add-on, called hearing aid domes.
What exactly is a hearing aid dome?
Doesn’t that sound kind of epic? Like hearing aids dueling in some kind of ancient mythical arena. Welcome to the Hearing Aid Dome: Two hearing aids enter…but only one leaves!
Well, it’s a bit less thrilling than that. But they are pretty neat. Hearing aid domes are like little earbuds that you can place at the end of your hearing aid speaker. Generally made of plastic or silicone, they fit around that little part that goes in your ear canal, attaching to the tubing of your hearing aid. They’re made for behind-the-ear or inside-the-ear-canal models of hearing aids. Here are the two general functions:
- They assure that the speaker of the hearing aid is seated in an ideal position in your ear. And they help keep the speaker in place. That way it’s not wiggling around.
- In some cases, outside sound can impede the sound of your hearing aid and hearing aid domes help stop that by regulating the amount of outside sound. Hearing aid domes work to improve the sound clarity and offer an extra bit of control when used correctly.
Those little bulbs at the end of earbuds are a lot like hearing aid domes. There are several hearing aid dome styles, so we will help you pick the one that’s best for your situation.
Different types of hearing aid domes
Open types and closed types each let in different amounts of ambient sound.
Hearing aid dome models include:
Open Domes
These have holes in the dome that allow more natural sound to pass through and into your ears. You get the advantage of amplification while still being able to process external sounds.
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 kind of dome can help with that.
Power Domes
Power domes completely block the ear canal and have no holes. With these, nearly no external sound can get in. These are most effective for very profound hearing loss.
Do hearing aid domes need to be changed?
Every two to three months will be the best schedule for changing your hearing aid domes (your ears aren’t the dirtiest place, but they aren’t the cleanest, either).
Hearing aid domes can typically be used right out of the box. As a matter of fact, that’s one of their biggest advantages.
What are the advantages of hearing aid domes?
There are numerous reasons why hearing aid domes are popular. The most common benefits include the following:
- Everything sounds a bit more natural: By selecting the best hearing aid dome type, you can guarantee that your hearing aids produce a natural overall sound and enhanced sound clarity. That’s because some sound will still (likely) get through. We can help you determine the type that’s best for you.
- No fitting time: Not having to wait is one of the best benefits of hearing aid domes. You can pop them in and use your hearing aid right away. This is an ideal option for individuals 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 good for that too. With hearing aid domes, you don’t need to sacrifice sound clarity to get quicker results.
- You’re able to hear your own voice: Some hearing aid domes are created to let a natural amount of sound come in. This means you can still hear your own voice as you normally would. This makes the clarity of sound feel much more natural, which means you’re more likely to wear your hearing aids far more often.
- Hearing aid domes can be more discrete: Hearing aid domes are pretty small, especially when they’re tucked inside your ear. In this way, they can be pretty discrete.
And again, this will mean you’re not as likely to leave your hearing aid sitting in a drawer.
Are there downsides to hearing aid domes?
As with any hearing device or medical procedure, there are some downsides and trade-offs to hearing aid domes, trade=offs you’ll want to consider before deciding. Among the most common are the following:
- They can at times be uncomfortable: Having something plugging the ear canal can be very 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 might separate from the tubing and get stuck in your ear canal. You’ll most likely need to come in and see us to get it removed if this happens.
- They can occasionally be more prone to feedback: Feedback, though not really common, occasionally does occur. For individuals who are dealing with high frequency hearing loss, this is especially true.
- Not ideal for all types of hearing loss: As an illustration, hearing aid domes won’t be the best option 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 problem. For people with profound hearing loss, it’s really the hearing aid itself that’s the problem: the type of hearing aid commonly associated with hearing aid domes is normally not large or powerful enough for this form of hearing loss.
Should I get hearing aid domes?
Inevitably, the decision of whether you should use hearing aid domes or not is largely a personal one. We can help but it’s up to you. And we will discuss your specific needs and help advise you on the pros and cons.
Some people may do better waiting for a custom fitting. For others, the quick results of hearing aids you can wear today will build healthy, lifelong hearing habits.
You have options and that’s the good thing.