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How A Custom Hearing Aid Is Made
Michelle Hopkins
Hearing loss can happen at any time from birth to advanced old age. One way to correct the loss is to have a custom hearing aid built to electronically amplify the sounds around you so you can hear them better. Here is how a custom hearing aid is made.
Getting a Prescription
You will need to visit an audiologist to determine how much hearing loss you have suffered. The audiologist will use an audiometer to precisely measure your hearing loss so they can order a hearing aid to be custom-made to address your specific condition.
Ear Canal Mold
A technician will make a custom mold of your ear canal so the new hearing aid will fit properly into your ear. First the technician puts in an otoblock made out of foam to keep the silicon impression-making material from damaging your ear drum. The silicon fills up the ear canal and is allowed to dry – this can take up to ten minutes. The silicon mold is then removed and dipped in warm wax to make a positive impression. The positive impression is then placed into a small cup that is filled with enough silicone to completely cover the impression. Once the silicone hardens in the cup, the impression is removed from the silicon block – leaving behind a custom-made mold of your ear canal in the silicon block. The technician will pour skin-colored acrylic into the mold until it hardens in a ultra-violet light oven to form the basic prosthetic device that will be placed into your ear canal when you wear your hearing aid.
Electronic Components
The technician will install and connect the electrical components onto an acrylic plate that will be attached to the prosthetic device. The electrical components are the battery, miniature microphone, volume control, and speaker. Two holes are put through the prosthetic device to allow for air flow and sound movement. The plate is then attached to the prosthetic device and glued together - a string to help you pull the hearing out is also attached to the base. The plate is then trimmed so it is flush with the prosthetic device to form one unit. The hearing aid is smoothed and polished so it will fit comfortably in your ear. The last step is verifying the electro-acoustic characteristics of the hearing aid per your audiologist's orders.
If you find you are suffering from hearing loss, visit and audiologist today to help you hear the wonderful sounds of music, nature, and loved ones that have been fading away from you. Contact a company like RI ENT Physicians Inc DBA Hearing Centers of RI for more information.
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