You’ve been putting off calling us to see if you need hearing aids, but you’ve finally decided it’s time. You’ve been resisting this like so many other people. But the hassle, the lost moments, the missing conversations, they all finally became too hard to ignore.
So when you do finally come in and then you learn that you will still need to wait another couple of weeks before you obtain your custom fit hearing aids, it can be discouraging.
That means that you will be missing some of life’s treasured 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 kind of epic, right? Like hearing aids dueling in some type of ancient mythical arena. Welcome to the Hearing Aid Dome: Two hearing aids enter…but only one leaves!
Well, it’s a little less exciting than that. They are rather cool though. Hearing aid domes are like little earbuds that you can place at the end of your hearing aid speaker. Usually made out of silicone or plastic, they connect to the tubing of your hearing aid and fit on the part that goes in your ear canal. You can use them on both behind-the-ear and in-ear models. Here are the two basic functions:
- They assure that the speaker of the hearing aid is sitting in an ideal position in your ear. And they help secure the speaker in place. That way it’s not wiggling around.
- Sometimes, external sound can impede the sound of your hearing aid and hearing aid domes help stop that by controlling the amount of outside sound. When properly used, hearing aid domes provide you with a bit of extra control and work to enhance sound clarity.
Those little bulbs at the end of earbuds are a lot like hearing aid domes. There are multiple hearing aid dome types, so we will help you choose the one that’s best for your situation.
Different types of 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
With these, more sound is capable of passing through little holes in the dome. This helps your ear process natural sounds while still getting the benefit of amplification.
Closed Domes
These domes let less external sound in through fewer and smaller holes. For people with more profound hearing loss, background 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 venting. This means very little to no sound at all can pass into the ear canal. These domes will be ideal for individuals with extremely severe hearing loss.
Do hearing aid domes need to be swapped out?
Every two to three months will be the ideal schedule for changing your hearing aid domes (your ears can be a bit unclean in there).
For most people, hearing aid domes can be used right out of the box. That’s one of the best things about them.
How will I benefit by using hearing aid buds?
There are numerous reasons why hearing aid domes are popular. The most widespread benefits include the following:
- The outside world sounds more clear and natural: You can be sure your hearing aids produce a clear, natural sound quality by picking the right type of hearing aid domes. That’s because some sound will still (probably) get through. Again, this depends on the style of dome, and we will help you with this.
- You’re able to hear your own voice: Some hearing aid domes are designed to let a natural amount of sound get through. This means you can still hear your own voice as you normally would. This makes the clarity of sound seem a lot more natural, which means you’re more likely to wear your hearing a great deal more often.
- No fitting time: One of the most prominent (and immediate) benefits of hearing aid domes is that you don’t have to wait. You can un-box them, put them on your hearing aid and you’re good to go. This is a perfect option for individuals who don’t want to wait weeks for custom fit hearing aids. It’s also good for individuals who want to demo their hearing aids before they purchase them. With hearing aid domes, you don’t need to sacrifice sound clarity to get faster results.
- Hearing aid domes can be more discrete: Hearing aid domes are fairly small, especially when they’re tucked inside your ear. In this way, they can be rather discrete.
And, again, this means many individuals are more likely to use those hearing aids more often.
What are the 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 making a decision. Among the most prevalent are the following:
- They aren’t always comfortable: Some individuals are uncomfortable with the feeling of something blocking their ear canal. Hearing specialists call this feeling “occlusion,” and some people can find it extremely uncomfortable. Also, your hearing aid dome can become stuck in your ear if you pull it out too fast or if you don’t keep it clean. You’ll probably need to come in and see us to have it removed if this happens.
- They can sometimes be more prone to feedback: Feedback, though not really common, sometimes does happen. For people who have high frequency hearing loss, this is especially true.
- Not ideal for all forms 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. Once again, the feedback can become a problem with high frequency hearing loss. For individuals with 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 styles commonly associated with hearing aid domes.
Should I use hearing aid domes?
It’s largely a personal choice whether you use hearing aid domes. We can help but it’s your choice. And we will go over 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. For others, the quick results of hearing aids you can use today will create healthy, lifelong hearing habits.
The good thing is that you’ve got options.