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Entering into the arena of hearing aids can be overwhelming for the average person. It’s like learning a whole new language! But, it’s a process that pays off. The vast majority of people who wear hearing aids are happy with their purchase and would recommend them to a friend. Hearing aids are responsible for improving relationships, adding vibrancy to life and may even protect against progressive cognitive decline like dementia.
While many different manufacturers offer varying models with all sorts of bells and whistles, here is a breakdown of the most common types of hearing aids and their pros and cons.
Custom or standard?
The first choice you will be presented with is whether to invest in custom or standard hearing aids. Standard hearing aids are not individually customized and can’t be purchased directly off the shelf. Your audiologist will do a fitting and programming determined by your body and lifestyle, but no ear molds or impressions are necessary. The benefit is that they are more affordable and the drawback is that the fitting becomes especially important to ensure comfort.
Custom hearing aids are individually made for the person wearing them. An earmold or impression is taken and the hearing aid is produced based upon the architecture of your individual ear. Benefits to custom hearing aids are increased comfort, but the cost will be higher than a standard hearing aid.
Invisible in-the-canal
You’ll be hearing about canals quite a bit. In this field, that refers to your ear canal and it plays an important role in where your hearing aid will sit. Invisible in-the-canal hearing aids are housed entirely in the ear.
Pros: virtually invisible, custom fit
Cons: won’t suffice for hearing loss beyond moderate levels, lack of additional features
Completely-in-canal
This type of hearing aid is mostly housed within the ear. The handle, used to take the hearing aids in and out of the ear, is the only part of the complete hearing aid that will be visible to most people you encounter.
Pros: extremely subtle, custom-fit
Cons: batteries need to be changed more often, only appropriate for mild and moderate hearing loss, less additional control features
In-the-canal
These are a mix of in the ear and out of the ear. Most of the device is housed within the ear, with a bit visible in the outer ear.
Pros: custom-fit, can accommodate up to mildly severe hearing loss
Cons: more visible outside of the ear
In-the-ear
Here, we move beyond the canal to the outer ear. These hearing aids are custom-fitted to the outer ear, in either a half shell version (lower part of the ear shell) or a full shell version (entire ear shell).
Pros: larger size makes them easier to manage, custom fit for comfort, can accommodate more severe hearing loss levels
Cons: more prone to picking up sounds like wind than in-canal versions, very visible within the ear
Receiver-in-canal
One of the most popular types of hearing aids, these hearing aids brilliantly place the speaker (receiver) inside the ear canal. Using a fine wire, this speaker connects the hearing aid to the earpiece.
Pros: reduced distortion, open fit, discreet, can be custom-made or standard
Cons: accommodates up to moderate hearing loss, more vulnerable to earwax and moisture
Behind-the-ear
These can look similar to receiver-in-canal hearing aids because they both are housed behind the ear connected to an in-canal component. The difference is that the receiver in behind-the-ear models is also located in the casing that hooks behind your ear and only a small earbud goes inside the ear, via a small tube.
Pros: can be custom fit, long battery life, suits most levels of hearing loss, less vulnerable to earwax and moisture
Cons: most visible style of hearing aid
Hearing Aids with Our Team of Professionals
Though there can be a lot of information to wade through, the best advice we can give is to work with an audiologist you trust who can lead you through the process of finding the hearing aids or listening devices that best suit your unique lifestyle. Audiologists are highly trained hearing health professionals that know the ins and outs of the hearing aid industry and they successfully match people with proven hearing loss solutions every day.
If you are ready to experience the life-changing benefits of hearing aids, we’re here to help! Contact us today to schedule a consultation for your hearing needs.