Union Hearing Aid Centre is proud to have exclusively developed a custom modification to the traditional bone conduction hearing aid used for the treatment of hearing impairment associated with atresia, microtia, or auditory canal abnormalities.
Bone Conduction and Hearing
All humans hear sound through both bone-conducted transmission and air transmission through the eardrums. Generally, the bulk of sounds we hear is heard through our eardrums.
Bone Conduction was discovered by Ludwig van Beethoven, the extremely famous 18th-century composer who was nearly entirely deaf. Beethoven discovered a unique way to capture sound from a piano by clenching a rod in his teeth, attached to his piano.The vibrations would flow from the piano to his jaw, providing him with a perception of sound. This experiment revealed that it is, in fact, possible for sound to filter to our auditory system through another source other than our eardrums; that being the bones of our skull.
How Does Bone Conduction Hearing Work?
This modified unit eliminates the use of a headband. This hearing aid is a great alternative to those individuals who do not wish to go the surgical route. For those who choose to proceed with the surgical route, this hearing aid is routinely used until all stages of surgical intervention are completed.
This hearing aid requires the bone oscillator to attach to the mastoid area with double sided tape. This tape can be purchased through our office. The hearing aid may be hung off the ear opposite to the bone oscillator or clipped to the users clothing using an alligator clip.
One must take special care with this instrument especially where the cord attaches to the jack. The jack can be ripped from the hearing aid quite easily if the cord is yanked.
Benefits of Bone Conduction Hearing Devices:
Bone conduction hearing aids are most appropriate for those suffering from conductive hearing and/or mixed hearing losses. They are also ideal for those experiencing hearing loss in one ear (single-sided deafness). If you have mixed hearing loss and have trouble wearing conventional In The Ear(ITE) or Behind the Ear(BTE) air conduction hearing aids, you may find bone conduction hearing aids work well.
- Hearing amplification is offered without the need to have an ear mould or hearing aid inserted into the ear canal.
- Very comfortable in comparison to a standard/conventional hearing aid.
- The bone conduction hearing device reduces risk of infection in the ear canal.
- Some bone conduction hearing devices are compatible with smartphones, which means they can be used to monitor and control certain features.
- Compatible with Assistive Listening Technologies such as telecoils, FM systems, and neckloops.
The majority of conductive hearing loss cases stem from eardrum damage. Because bone conduction does not rely on the eardrums for hearing, people with hearing trouble would be able to hear properly again with bone conduction, as long as their cochlea is in a healthy and working state.
A bone conduction hearing aid is one component for managing and improving your hearing. When you make a decision to obtain a bone conduction hearing aid, it is highly recommended that it be used as part of a general therapy program. Your specialized audiologist will work with you to design an appropriate therapy program to help your brain understand the new method in which information will be transmitted by the device.
