After months (maybe even years) of waiting, you’ve finally resolved to give us a call to find out if you should get hearing aids. You’ve been resisting this like so many other people. But the inconvenience, the lost moments, the missing conversations, they all finally became too hard to ignore.
So it’s a bit discouraging when you’re at 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. But you could try a basic little device add on called a hearing aid dome instead.
What are hearing aid domes?
They sound kind of grand, right? Like hearing aids fighting in some kind of ancient mythical arena. Only one hearing aid can emerge victorious from the hearing aid dome.
It’s not really that thrilling. They are pretty cool though. Hearing aid domes go on the end of your hearing aid speakers like tiny earbuds. Usually made of silicone or plastic, they connect to the tubing of your hearing aid and fit around the part that goes into your ear canal. They’re made for both behind-the-ear or inside-the-ear-canal style hearing aids. Here are the two basic functions:
- They situate the hearing aid speaker (the part that you listen to) in the most effective position inside of your ear canal. And they position the speaker so it won’t move around inside of your ear.
- They can help control the amount of external sound you hear, especially when that outside sound can interfere with the function of your hearing aid. When used correctly, hearing aid domes offer you a bit of extra control and work to enhance sound clarity.
Domes for hearing aids look kind of like those bulbs at the end of your earbuds. There are multiple hearing aid dome styles, so we will help you choose the one that’s best for your needs.
What is the difference between hearing aid domes?
Open types and closed types each let in different levels of background sound.
Hearing aid domes come in different types, including:
Open Domes
These have openings in the dome that allow more natural sound to get through and into your ears. This helps your ear process ambient sounds along with the benefit of amplification.
Closed Domes
As the name implies, these domes have fewer openings and stop more ambient sound than open domes can. For individuals with more profound hearing loss, ambient noise can be really distracting and this type of dome can help with that.
Power Domes
Power domes totally block the ear canal and have no venting. This means virtually no sound at all can pass into the ear canal. These are most practical for extremely severe hearing loss.
How frequently should you change your hearing aid domes?
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. In fact, that’s one of their biggest advantages.
How will I benefit by wearing hearing aid buds?
Hearing aid domes are popular for a wide array of reasons. The most widespread advantages include the following:
- Everything sounds a bit more natural: You can be certain your hearing aids produce a clear, natural sound quality by choosing the right type of hearing aid domes. Most likely, some sound will still get in and that’s the reason for this. We can help you identify the kind that’s ideal for you.
- You’re able to hear your own voice: A natural level of sound can get through some types of hearing aid domes. This means you can still hear your own voice as you naturally would. This makes the clarity of sound feel a lot more natural, which means you’re likely to wear your hearing aids far more often.
- No fitting time: One of the most prominent (and immediate) advantages of hearing aid domes is that you don’t have to wait. You can pop them in and wear your hearing aid right away. For people who don’t want to wait for custom fit hearing aids, it’s the ideal solution. And if you want to try out a hearing aid before you purchase it, they’re great for that too. For people who want results faster, hearing aid domes can provide a way to achieve that without compromising the quality of your sound clarity.
- Hearing aid domes can be more discrete: Hearing aid domes are pretty small, especially when they’re tucked into your ear. In this way, they can be rather discrete.
And, once again, this means many individuals are more likely to use those hearing aids more often.
Are there downsides 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 think about before deciding. Among the most common are the following:
- They’re not always comfortable: Some individuals are uncomfortable with the feeling of something blocking their ear canal. Some people find this sensation, called “occlusion” by hearing specialist, extremely uncomfortable. Also, your hearing aid dome can get lodged in your ear if you pull it out too quickly or if you don’t keep it clean. If this occurs, you’ll likely need to come see us to get it removed.
- Occasionally, they can cause feedback: Feedback, though not very common, occasionally does occur. For individuals who have high frequency hearing loss, this is especially true.
- Some types of hearing loss aren’t suited for hearing aid domes: For instance, if you have profound hearing loss or high frequency hearing loss, hearing aid domes may not be the best option for you. Again, the feedback can become a problem with high frequency hearing loss. For people who have profound hearing loss, it’s really the hearing aid itself that’s the issue: you’ll need something that’s bigger and which is more powerful than the types typically associated with hearing aid domes.
So are hearing aid domes for me?
It’s largely a personal decision whether you use hearing aid domes. We can help but it’s your choice. And we will be able to help you understand all the pros and cons related to your personal hearing health.
For some individuals, it may be worth waiting the extra two weeks for a custom-fit device. For others, the immediate results of hearing aids you can wear today will create healthy, lifelong hearing habits.
The nice thing is that you’ve got options.