During your hearing aid evaluation, your audiologist may recommend custom earmolds to go along with your new hearing aids. Your audiologist would then create impressions of the inside of your ear canals to send in to the earmold manufacturer.
What are custom earmolds?
Custom earmolds are created using impressions of the inside of your ear canals. Once made, they provide a near perfect fit to the anatomy of your ear. They are most commonly made of silicone, and are available in a wide variety of colors.
Who needs custom molds?
Not every patient with hearing aids will require custom earmolds. Many patients will have success using standard dome tips. Whether custom molds are required will depend on several factors.
First off; custom molds may be chosen based on the degree of hearing loss. In general, the more severe the hearing loss, the more likely custom molds will be required. Custom molds may also be chosen based on the anatomy of the ear. Some patients will have trouble keeping dome tips to stay in their ears. If there are retention issues, custom molds are a great option. Lastly, patients who have difficulties fully inserting standard dome tips can benefit from custom earmolds. Earmolds that are a perfect fit tend to be easier to insert than dome tips.
Styles of custom earmolds
As mentioned earlier, custom earmolds are most commonly made of silicone. However, they can also be made of vinyl, polyethylene, or acrylic. Your audiologist will help determine the ideal material to suit your needs.
Custom molds also come in a variety of styles. The choice of style will be dependent on the anatomy of the ear canal and the degree and type of hearing loss.
Cost of custom molds
The cost of custom molds will vary depending on the materials used to create it. It will also depend on whether or not there is a receiver built into the earmold.
From Merit Hearing, the price of ear impressions is $25 per impression. The cost of a basic, silicone earmold is $75. For different materials, or more advanced earmolds, contact us for pricing information.
Custom earmolds are nonrefundable, since they are custom made for you. However, they typically come with a 90-day remake warranty. If you are unhappy with the look or fit of your new earmolds, you can get a replacement made within 90 days of the original order.