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After months (possibly even years) of waiting, you’ve finally resolved to give us a call to see if you need hearing aids. You have been resisting this like so many others. But the inconvenience, the lost moments, the missing interactions, they all finally became too much.

So it’s a little disheartening when you’re at the hearing specialist’s office and you learn that you’re going to need to wait another couple of weeks for custom fit hearing aids.

That means that you will be losing some of life’s precious moments for two more weeks. But you could try a basic little device add on known as a hearing aid dome instead.

What are hearing aid domes?

They sound sort of epic, right? Like hearing aids dueling in some type of ancient mythical arena. Only one hearing aid can come forth victorious from the hearing aid dome.

It’s not quite that exciting. But they are pretty neat. Hearing aid domes go on the end of your hearing aid speakers like little earbuds. Typically made of plastic or silicone, they fit over that little part that goes inside your ear canal, connecting to the tubing of your hearing aid. They’re made for behind-the-ear or inside-the-ear-canal style hearing aids. Here are the two general functions:

  • They guarantee that the speaker of the hearing aid is sitting in an optimal position in your ear. And they help secure the speaker in place. That way it’s not wiggling around.
  • Sometimes, external sound can interfere with 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 correctly.

Those little bulbs at the end of earbuds are similar to hearing aid domes. 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?

Most come in open and closed designs, each letting in more or less ambient sound.

Hearing aid dome types include:

Open Domes

With these, more sound is capable of passing through little holes in the dome. This helps your ear process ambient sounds along with the advantage of amplification.

Closed Domes

As the name indicates, these domes have fewer openings and block more ambient sound than open domes can. For people with more significant hearing loss, background noise can be very distracting and this kind of dome can help with that.

Power Domes

Power domes totally block the ear canal and have no holes. This means virtually no sound at all can get into the ear canal. These domes will be ideal for individuals 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 dirty in there).

For most people, hearing aid domes can be used right out of the box. That’s one of the greatest things about them.

What are the benefits of hearing aid domes?

There are numerous reasons why hearing aid domes are popular. Here are some prevailing benefits:

  • No fitting time: Not needing to wait is one of the best advantages of hearing aid domes. You can un-box them, put 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 try out a hearing aid before you purchase it, they’re great for that too. With hearing aid domes, you don’t need to sacrifice sound clarity to get faster results.
  • Everything sounds a little more natural: You can be sure your hearing aids produce a clear, natural sound quality by choosing the right type of hearing aid domes. That’s because some sound will still (likely) get through. We can help you identify the type that’s best for you.
  • Hearing aid domes can be more discrete: Hearing aid domes aren’t very big, particularly when they’re in your ear. In this way, they can be pretty discrete.
  • You can hear your own voice: Some hearing aid domes are designed to let a natural amount of sound come in. This means you will still be able to 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 a great deal more often.

And again, this will mean you’re not as likely to leave your hearing aid sitting on your nightstand.

Are there downsides to hearing aid domes?

You’ll want to be mindful of some of the downsides and trade-offs that come with hearing aid domes. Here are a few of the most prevalent:

  • They’re not always comfortable: Some people are uncomfortable with the feeling of something filling their ear canal. Hearing specialists call this feeling “occlusion,” and some individuals can find it intensely uncomfortable. Also, your hearing aid dome can get stuck in your ear if you pull it out too fast or if you don’t keep it clean. You’ll most likely need to come in and see us to have it removed if this happens.
  • Sometimes, they can cause feedback: Feedback isn’t necessarily typical, but it can happen. This is particularly true for individuals who have high-frequency hearing loss.
  • Some forms of hearing loss aren’t suited for hearing aid domes: For example, if you are suffering from profound hearing loss or high frequency hearing loss, hearing aid domes might not be the preferred solution for you. For those with high-frequency hearing loss, once again, it’s the feedback that becomes the problem. For people who have profound hearing loss, it’s really the hearing aid itself that’s the issue: the type of hearing aid commonly associated with hearing aid domes is usually not large or powerful enough for this form of hearing loss.

Should I get hearing aid domes?

Ultimately, the choice of whether you should use hearing aid domes or not is largely a personal one. It’s up to you but we can help. And we will look at your individual needs and help advise you on the pros and cons.

For some individuals, it may be worth waiting the extra two weeks for a custom-fit device. Others will create healthy lifelong hearing habits by choosing a solution that allows them to begin using their new hearing aids immediately.

The nice thing is that you’ve got options.

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The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive personalized advice or treatment, schedule an appointment.
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