Earmolds - soft or hard?
Dave_s
Now, the plastic tubing seems to creep out past the ear canal end of the
mold and hurts my ear. These molds are 4 1/2 years old. What is the
useful life of soft molds? Can my body and ears change over 4 years to
make fit no longer usable?
I just visited a local audiologist for a hearing test and quote on new
earmolds. She only dispenses hard earmolds not soft type. Changing from
soft to hard type would be quite a change for me. Not ready to do that
without understanding risks/benifit.
America Hears (AH) made my ADRO BTE aids and soft earmolds and I will be
discussing my earmolds questions with them. Since I will be asking AH
about replacing my earmolds, I am ALSO asking this group (a second
opinion) for your thoughts about hard versus soft earmolds.
I always change the plastic tubing in my soft earmolds. Do hard earmolds
also have user changable plastic tubing?
My audiogram is:
L 250Hz 55db, 500 55, 1000 50, 2000 45, 3500 60, 4000 65, 5000 60
R 250Hz 55dB, 599 55, 1000 55, 2000 50, 3500 60, 4000 65, 5000 70
Comprehension LEFT=84%, RIGHT=88%
Thanks for your thoughts, Dave_s
Ken
I have tried both and find hard molds best. They last forever, are
comfortable (once you get used to them) and are better in reducing
feedback. Venting is more certain than with soft molds. But what
annoyed me most about soft molds is that they, simply, deteriorate -
compost!
This is important - soft molds are made of a less inert - more
chemically and bacteriologically reactive material than the acrylic
used in hard molds. I live in a very dry climate. Most people seem to
live in areas with higher humidity where I would expect this
particular problem to be worse. Dry and store gear for hearing aids
seems common to deaf people elsewhere. Here it is totally unnecessary.
And both types of mold also use plastic tubing which has to be
replaced every 4-5 years - my audiologist charges $10 for retubing. It
is odd that they have not invented a more durable tubing - eventually
it goes hard and splits where it joins the hearing aid.
Dave_s
I live in So CALIF where it can be hot, cold, and sometimes quite humid
and have SMOG. I use a dry store constantly with my soft molds. I see
small water drops in tubing at night. My plastic tubes become hard, not
flexible in 6 months, not 4-5 years.
Are the plastic tubes in your hard molds glued in place or locked with a
collar?
Your info sure is helpful!
Many thanks, Dave_S
Ken
From observing replacement of tubes in my aids, my impression is that
there is no adhesive and no 'collar'. Rather the replacement tube
seems to be larger at one end - sort of a long skinny cone. The old
tube is removed, the the new one is fed in, threaded through and then
pulled tight. Then trimmed at each end. The big end flush with the
surface of the mold (where it goes into your ear) and the other, which
connects to the hearing aid, the appropriate length for comfort (we
are talking about BTE aids). So, if I have it right, the 'hold' is
purely friction.
Bear in mind that I am a user, not a hearing aid pro. And I have only
ever used one brand of hearing aid Phonak). I just checked my old,
long-discarded, soft molds, and it does seem that their tubes do not
have a big end. Rather some sort of adhesive seems to be present, but
it was not difficult to pull the tubes out so we are not talking super
glue. Silicone is notoriously difficult to glue things to.
My description of the replacement tube above needs elaboration - it
simply has a slightly enlarged section at one end - this is the part
which becomes wedged in place and is trimmed off flush with the
surface of the mold. The enlarged part is, maybe, an inch long. Such a
replacement tube would not work in a a silicon mold unless it was
designed to allow for the resulting distortion.
Hopefully one of our 'pros' will weigh in and provide a fuller
perspective onmold preferences and tube replacement technology.
dsi1
> My present soft earmolds are possibly reaching end of life.
> Now, the plastic tubing seems to creep out past the ear canal end of the
> mold and hurts my ear. These molds are 4 1/2 years old. What is the
> useful life of soft molds? Can my body and ears change over 4 years to
> make fit no longer usable?
Typically, the soft earmolds are used for higher losses since they
provide better sealing. In your case, you're using it for the comfort
aspect. Your moderate hearing loss doesn't require too critical a seal.
Your earmold fit will change over the course of years. Most of the time
they lose the ability to provide a proper seal. This is mostly a loose
fit caused by your ears growing larger. Your ears and nose will continue
to grow over your entire life. A loose fit can also be caused by a loss
in weight.
>
> I just visited a local audiologist for a hearing test and quote on new
> earmolds. She only dispenses hard earmolds not soft type. Changing from
> soft to hard type would be quite a change for me. Not ready to do that
> without understanding risks/benifit.
Ask her if you can return the earmold if you find them unwearable. I
don't see anything wrong with trying a set out. You could ask her about
making a hard earmold set made to be more comfortable. This is usually
done by removing large areas of the earmold and are typically called
"skeleton" earmolds. There are also earmolds that are small and only fit
into the canal.
> America Hears (AH) made my ADRO BTE aids and soft earmolds and I will be
> discussing my earmolds questions with them. Since I will be asking AH
> about replacing my earmolds, I am ALSO asking this group (a second
> opinion) for your thoughts about hard versus soft earmolds.
Why not have the audiologist take impressions of your ear and have AH
make the mold? Typical charge for this would be about $50 to $100 for 2
impressions.
>
> I always change the plastic tubing in my soft earmolds. Do hard earmolds
> also have user changable plastic tubing?
The tubing for soft earmolds are different from tubing for hard. They
have a retaining collar that locks the tubing in place. Hard earmolds
use tubing without collars which is glued in place and are typically not
changed by the user. It's not a difficult job since it involves removing
the old tubing and gluing in a new one. Arts and crafts. :-)
humma...@humma.com
wrote:
>My present soft earmolds are possibly reaching end of life.
>Now, the plastic tubing seems to creep out past the ear canal end of the
>mold and hurts my ear. These molds are 4 1/2 years old. What is the
>useful life of soft molds? Can my body and ears change over 4 years to
>make fit no longer usable?
>
Earmold compositions can have different acoustic characteristics as
can tubing, Earmold venting,seals and porting depend on its softness.
Tubing comes in several thicknesses and diameters all which can
significantly change the acoustic output of a hearing aid.
There are respected audiological researchers who feel that earmold
characteristics are almost as important as the selection of the aid
itself.
This is one aspect of amplification that mail order and internet
sales of one size fits all earmolds and stock fittings don't cover as
the only way to measure these modifications is real ear measurements.
Ken
> On Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:20:16 -0800, Dave_s <grou...@dslextreme.com>
Interesting post. I think I was lucky with my first audiologist. She
fitted hard molds and drilled the vent herself. The result was, after
a week getting used to it, very satisfactory. I never needed to use
any gels or lubricants and had no feedback problems. No significant
changes in my ears - the things continued to fit perfectly for
decades..
Then, as part of being evaluated for CI, the amplification of my aids
had to be boosted to the max and this required new mods to prevent
feedback. This is where I fell into the hands of a new, young and, as
it turned out, incompetent (read stupid) audiologist who, without
consulting me, ordered soft molds and gave me a tube of gel to help
insert them. And no vents.
I found all this - the soft mold, the lack of vents (you notice it
immediately) and the messy gel - hopeless. A more experienced
audiologist readily agreed to substitute hard molds with vents. These
have worked fine ever since (well, one of them - the other ear is CI).
No gels/lubricants. They are not necessary. Over twenty years or so
occasionally minor discomfort - skin inflammation of various kinds in
the ear canal. As my first audiologist said, you simply dispense with
the aid in that ear for a day or two until the problem clears up.
I have described all this at some length because hummahu is right -
correct selection, fitting and adjustment of molds is a major part of
a successful hearing aid outcome. As I have said ad nauseum, if you
need hearing aids you need a good audiologist. If you buy hearing aids
on-line without an audiologist first evaluating your problem and,
secondly, taking care of fitting and adjustment (including organising
suitable molds) then the outcome will be far less satisfactory.
How do you find a good audiologist? Much the same as finding a good
car or appliance repairer - talk to your doctor, talk to people
wearing hearing aids, talk to hearing support groups. And if you have
any doubts about your man/woman, get a second opinion. By adulthood
most of us have acquired sufficient skills to be able to make a
reasonable judgment of whether a professional in any field inspires
confidence.
What I am trying to say is that the mold thing - correct fitting,
venting etc. - has, for me, been a vital part of a successful hearing
aid experience - something which I had not focused on until I read
hummahu's post.
dsi1
> On Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:20:16 -0800, Dave_s <gro...@dslextreme.com>
> wrote:
>
>> My present soft earmolds are possibly reaching end of life.
>> Now, the plastic tubing seems to creep out past the ear canal end of the
>> mold and hurts my ear. These molds are 4 1/2 years old. What is the
>> useful life of soft molds? Can my body and ears change over 4 years to
>> make fit no longer usable?
>>
> Earmold compositions can have different acoustic characteristics as
> can tubing, Earmold venting,seals and porting depend on its softness.
> Tubing comes in several thicknesses and diameters all which can
> significantly change the acoustic output of a hearing aid.
> There are respected audiological researchers who feel that earmold
> characteristics are almost as important as the selection of the aid
> itself.
This sounds reasonable. In practice, however, most fitters, including
audiologists prefer hard earmolds and will tend to steer users in that
direction. I do not know why this is so.
humma...@humma.com
<ds...@humuhumunukunukuapuapa.org> wrote:
>This sounds reasonable. In practice, however, most fitters, including
>audiologists prefer hard earmolds and will tend to steer users in that
>direction. I do not know why this is so.
Hard lucite is easier to modify ( drill, grind, buff, replace
tubes) in the clinic and doesn't shrink over time. If its clear you
can see the shape of the vent you are tring to drill or bell.
dsi1
Thanks for the info. :-)