Episode 5: Custom Fit Style of Hearing Aid

6 of 10 FAQ FOR HEARING TV

WHICH HEARING AID SHOULD I BUY? (Levels of STYLE OF HEARING AIDS – Custom Fit)

The final STYLE of hearing aid we’re going to discuss is Custom Made hearing aids.  These are
hearing aids that are CUSTOM MADE for your ear.

To do this a silicon impression is made of your ear.  This is a 5-minute procedure to obtain
the ear’s INDIVIDUAL SHAPE.  The ear impression is then used to make a CUSTOM FIT
hearing aid by the manufacturer using a 3-D printer.  Then the MICROCHIP, SPEAKER,
AMPLIFIER, MICROPHONE and BATTERY HOUSING is fitted into this CUSTOM MADE shape.

The final size of the CUSTOM FIT hearing aid is dictated by (1) the physical shape of your ear
that is, HOW MUCH hardware can FIT in your ear;
(2) your hearing loss SOoo the bigger the hearing loss, the larger size the SPEAKER needs to
be;
(3) your preference of size, for example the smaller CUSTOM aid size has very small batteries
and need nimble fingers to physically manage them.  A larger size may be preferable for
those who have less movement or feeling in their fingers.

The ADVANTAGE of CUSTOM FIT aids include the fact that…:​

  • No technology needs to be housed behind the user’s ear​
    This can make the aid easier to manage and does not compete for space with glasses
  • Another advantage is that the aid’s microphone can be located in line with user’s ear canal,
    which has advantages such as standard placement of a phone to the ear

The DISADVANTAGES of CUSTOM FIT aids include:

  • The electronics of the aid are close to the MOISTURE and EAR WAX of the ear canal and
    therefore the device needs to be well maintained.
  • Not all hearing losses suit having a solid aid in the ear, especially when your low pitch
    hearing is good – as the aid in your ear canal can than make your own voice sound
    unnaturally loud and uncomfortable.

Well, that’s a brief overview of the CUSTOM FIT hearing aid.  Join us next week for more
insights.  Happy Hearing from the HEARING TV team.