Here are some additional thoughts:
I got my hearing aids in February so they already had the new type of mic protectors. I’m calling them protectors and not screens because upon checking closely under a microscope, I do not see any screen. It just looks like a plastic cover with 4 slits. That being said, I switched them out yesterday and it did seem like the sound quality got better. However, this may be just a psychological effect. I would caution anyone wearing the aids in a dusty environment. As the slits do not seemto be sufficient protection against dust particles.
One thing though. I did experience the scratch noise prior to changing out the screens as someone mentioned on this thread. Since I changed them, I haven’t heard it, however its been only a day.
Being that there are no screens, I feel that they can be easily cleaned and re-used. Perhaps swap them out every 6 months or so. Easy to remove, not so easy to pop back into place.