Choosing the Right Style of Hearing Aid

Two main hearing aid styles

Custom Hearing Aids

Custom hearing aids are made using an impression taken of your ear and ear canal. Impressions are taken by putting impression material in your ear almost to the eardrum. In a few minutes the impression material sets to a rubbery consistency that is pliable but retains its shape. The impression is removed from your ear and sent to the hearing aid manufacturer where it is used as the mold to make the case (or shell) of the hearing aid. This case contains the hearing aid's electronics and allows the hearing aid to fit snugly into your ear and ear canal.

Custom hearing aid styles

• CIC (Completely-in-Canal) - Sits within the ear canal (often projects a little into the outer ear)
• Canal - Fills less than half of the outer ear
• Half Shell - Fills approximately half of the outer ear
• ITE (also called Full Shell) - Fills the whole outer ear

Non-Custom Hearing Aids

Non-custom (also called “Standard”) hearing aids fit outside of the ear canal. Non-custom hearing aids are usually fit behind-the-ear (BTE), but not always. Sound picked up by the hearing aid is delivered to the ear canal through a small tube. The tube either has a soft, pliable tip (generally referred to as a dome) to protect the sensitive skin of the ear canal, or connects to a custom-made ear mold.

Some BTE (behind-the-ear) hearing aids, referred to as RIC (receiver-in-canal) or CRT (canal-receiver technology) use a sound delivery system that places a very small “speaker” on the end of a wire that runs through the small tube going into the wearer's ear canal. ”Receiver” is the industry term for what most of us think of as a “speaker.” This receiver generates sound very close to the eardrum instead of forcing the sound through a tube from the BTE into the ear canal. Both RIC and hollow tube open-ear hearing aids are about the same size and have tubes that are about the same diameter. Receiver tubes costs more to replace than hollow tubes.

Most of today's non-custom hearing aids are nearly invisible and come with tips (domes) with holes in them to reduce the amount of occlusion (plugging) caused by wearing hearing aids. These "open-fit" hearing aids require very few, if any, adjustments after the initial fitting and are very easy to keep in good condition.

Non-custom hearing aids can also be fitted to a custom ear mold that is made from the same type of an impression used to make a custom-made hearing aid. BTE with custom ear mold units have larger diameter tubes and are usually dispensed for severe-to-profound losses.

Non-custom hearing aids vary in size determined by battery size and power. More powerful hearing aids require more battery power to operate and a bigger battery to supply the necessary power.