I’ve been wearing ITE hearing aids for 18 years. I’m thinking of switching to BTE now due to my age and have had recent issues with getting the ITEs to fit properly. Does anyone out there have suggestions or experience with switching from ITE to BTE? Thank you.
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Hello there!
I suggest if you go for this change , have properly made ear molds. Ensure each ear mold has a vent hole as this make the earpiece more comfortable and less sweat.
Good luck.
I don’t believe you need molds for BTE hearing aids. Sorry… the ones I wear normally are ITC.
The need for molds vs improved hearing from having aids are two separate things. Also, “BTE” typically refers to aids which have a tube carrying the sound from the aid body over the top of the ear and into a mold. Some BTE with thin tubes can use domes. What some mistake for BTE are RIC, or receiver in canal. (Some companies use other acronyms such as RIE for the same thing. These use a wire from the body of the aids and energize a small speaker (called a receiver) in the canal of the ear. This can be in a number of different things holding the receiver, domes, molds, or other options in between. Most users with RICs use domes, but then most have mild/moderate losses, not the severe losses that tend to require a mold to keep feedback down enough to allow sufficient gain to treat the loss. Regardless of the need, it often occurs that molds provide better performance than domes. A mild or moderate loss at the lower frequencies will not want the canal blocked, so bigger vents are used in the mold if used, or more open domes. Without seeing an audiogram it is speculation as to what is best for any one person with hearing loss.
WH
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The BTE hearing aid will now sit above your ear and wire goes from there to the earpiece.
Some people have ear buds in the canal but tend to fall out. The weight of the behind the ear aid tends to pull away from the ear fixture which is why I suggested ear molds. They keep the aid in place.
Mine are clear so people don’t see the hearing aid at all.
They are very different to ITE hearing aid and are more able to accommodate your hearing loss prescription.
I recommend that video:
I can’t speak to the aesthetic differences. But, I have never been able to use ITE because of my level of hearing loss since age 3, which was 42 years ago. And it has been pretty stable.
The main difference in function between ITE and BTE that I am aware of, is of course, the fact that BTEs are better able to reach more profound levels of loss and still function without issue.
Thanks so much for your response. Having always worn ITE’s I’ve no experience with BTE’s so this information is great to help me determine what’s the best way forward for me.
Thanks. Carole