Domes, molds problem, question

Hearing Aids
#1

OK. I can’t seem to get molds to fit. My canals are pretty straight so there is nothing to grip with until you get to the second bend. My audiologist refuses to order molds that are very long or impression length. Excuses, song and dance, etc.

  1. Is there a reason long molds are bad? I would much rather have molds deep into the bony portion of the canal and have the wire tight against my head.

  2. Or, i am currently using double domes and that works good but my left ear is between sizes, medium to large. I can’t get the mediums to seal and the large hurt after a couple of days. Is there build-up material that works on domes, or a way to thin out the large size.

  3. Or, a better solution?

EDIT: This is for Phonak Lumity.

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#2

I have long ear moulds to the second bend but anything past the second bend and it’s very painful.

Sound is a lot better because of it.

I have soft ear moulds. Not sure how comfy they’ll be with hard ear moulds.

#3

I think , digitally printed aermole is the solution for you

#4

I suspect deep, non-flexible molds are incompatible with ear canal movement (eating, talking). I had molds all my life but now firmly prefer domes. I recently ordered ‘Phonak’ (power) domes from China (I believe these are all interchangeable between brands) that are really, really thin. Perhaps these cause you less irritation.

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#5

They haven’t been made correctly if they don’t “fit”
Hard acrylic or soft silicone can be made with a canal lock which insurers a good snug fit.

Time to tell them to do as you requested, if not you’ll need to find another clinic, remember they work for you, that’s what you pay them for.

  1. No, long molds are not “bad” having the mold up close to the eardrum is ok.

  2. No you definitely don’t want to be trying to add some kind of “build-up material” to the domes, this is what molds are for.

  3. The better solution is to get those molds made correctly, you need to be firm with your audiologist on this, talking about the issues as your expectations for this is always good.

This is where the soft silicone molds can help, but also having the correct mold made with canal lock or skeleton, no movement there.

Um no, actually not all brands are interchangeable, the OP doesn’t mention any irritation, which is another issue all together.

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#6

I have irritation with soft silicone earmolds. The Starkey ear molds are the best. This type of earmold is the best and l will be ordering a pair.

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#7

Thanks for the comments, folks. I’m currently trying the double domes, also called power domes. The right one fits perfect. On the left, a 4.0 large is too large, and hurts. The medium is too small and will not seal. But, i tried the 3.0 power dome large and so far it seems to be comfortable and seals easily.

3.0 and 4.0 refer to the receivers they are intended for. 3.0 is the Phonak Belong and prior. 4.0 is the Phonak Marvel and later. The 4.0 large seems to be 2mm larger than the 3.0 large.

I have the domes pushed in all the way to the bony portion of the canal and they are comfortable, no occlusion, they don’t move, and the wire is tight against my head. I would like to have a mold that fits like that. Maybe some day.

So, for now i will stick with a slight mismatch in dome sizes and generations.

#8

Yes the numbers refers to the length of the receiver.

@Terost for me the domes give me a bit of irritation, FYI the soft molds can be made with different types of silicone depending on allergic reaction.
Starkey are definitely one of the better offerings in mold making with Westone Custom Earpiece Materials

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#9

There are receiver wire lengths but I’m talking about the model of the receiver. The 4.0 domes fit any length receiver. My receiver length is 3 and it is Power, so my receiver length is 3P.

#10

The 4.0 is more about the newer receivers for marvel and newer aids. The factory domes for those receivers are also labeled 4.0.

I found skeleton lock molds to hold rock solid and we’re very comfortable. We
With your loss they might be the ticket.

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#11

I may end up trying that. Can they still be long and deep? I will have to have a vent unless they go into the bony portion.

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#12

Oh yeah, sorry I thought you were talking about the length.

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#13

Yes they can make them long or short, so long as it’s possible, as in canal type.

#14

I, too, have used earmolds for decades, switching to power domes about 10 years ago and love them. Unfortunately, it seems the industry no longer offers deep power domes. The current offerings are significantly shorter when compared side by side to older models and don’t perform as well for me. I looked everywhere online for deeper domes without success. My audiologist is of the opinion that the deeper domes were discontinued because many users were experiencing detachment from the receiver, leaving the dome stuck in the ear, requiring a trip to the audi or clinic to remove it. I never had a problem, but, nevertheless, have to deal with the consequences.

#15

Hello RobHooft
Long time user of domes but middle aged son who hears much better with molds than domes suggested I try them. Hard plastic custom. Now after a week I see no difference in speech understanding and don’t like the timbre of the sounds of my voice and other voices. Could you please elaborate on the reason you abandoned molds so I can see if I have similar experiences. Thanks

#16

I just find the sound coming from a speaker in my ear canal far superior than what previously came through a silicone tube centimeters away. But I admit- this may also relate to better HAs these days, I haven’t done a side-by-side comparison with the same HA.

#17

Thanks RobHooft
I just listened to Dr Cliff on my computer without hearing aids as my hair was wet from a shower and could hear every word clearly (he speaks well). But when I went back to it later to check something he said but this time wearing my hearing aids his voice was more muffled. Odd

#18

@Beryl1, what diameter of vent does your earmold have? I had similar problem with muffled voices and weak environmental awareness with pressure vent earmold, but after increase gain in (my case, YMMV) 1500-4000 Hz it dramatically improved.

Increasing the gain required overtuning 2-3 steps beyond the feedback threshold in my case.

Perhaps your fitting is underamplified? Have you ever had REM?

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#19

@Don, did you receive a long earmold? I have been strongly considering it recently. I’ve even gotten to know about EasyView Otoblock from Phonak to make deeper silicone impressions easier:

poster_otoblock_crowhen.pdf (2.1 MB)

#20

Thanks for weighing in. I did have REM and at the request of my internist am going to an ENT today although I have not had any more dizziness so I question the need for the visit.
I am a week in trying the molds. They fit comfortably but that is about all that is good for me. It feels like everyone is shouting despite my audi turning them down a large amount remotely after I got home and emailed her. I also have app control of the volume but I am finding no benefit in speech comprehension over domes (WR 45-50 and 60%). Not good the street noise yesterday was deafening (no pun intended!). Back to audiologist in a week.
Re the vent size of the molds I have no idea or of any of the technical aspects you mention as yet.