I struggled, for nearly 6 months, to adjust to molds made with the closed mouth method. They didn’t hurt. They stayed put. Boy did they stay put. Every chew, every word, every facial movement tugged at both my ears. I hated the sensation and could not adjust to it. That seemed to be the only type of mold my audiologist would consider. It was get used to it or go back to some type of dome…and those hadn’t worked for me. I changed audiologists and he had me talk while the gel was setting. The resultant molds are tons more comfortable and don’t tug at my ears with every movement of my mouth or face.
As for my hearing, I haven’t noticed any difference in the quality of my hearing as between the 2 molds. For me, the change to the relaxed mold (using the term of the opening article) has been a matter of comfort.