I got a new Phonak superpower hearing aid. The earmold is included from Phonak. It is a silicone full shell clear earmolds and supposedly is hypoallergenic. I have gone back three times to try to sand down the area that become sore in a few hours. I still cannot wear it all day comfortably. It’s near the cymba concha if you look it up online for a picture of where that might be. Supposedly this is an area to hold the earmold in place. It hurts and is uncomfortable. How many times should I have it sanded down before needing to remake it. The audiologist thinks it will just be remade the same and more time spent sanding. It is somewhat better but still uncomfortable.
I have never had an earmold sanded down, and I don’t think I have used this earmold. It is hard to determine what is normal with this earmold. Can you tell me if this is the only earmold I can use for superpower HAs? The rest of the area is fine, but I do feel some slight pressure in the canal. I wonder if after I resolve the sore part, if the pressure in the ear canal will be noticeable bothersome or will my ear canal adapt? This earmold is kind of “pouffy” and kinda shapeless.
Before this, I used an earmold that was matte and flesh or tan in color because of allergic reaction to earmolds. The prior audiologist put in a vent that this audiologist said is not supposed to be in there because of the severity of my hearing loss and is why the older HA had feedback issues. Does anyone know what this material is made off that I have used before? I never got information on earmold material type or shape names. I liked this earmold material though. It is softer too but the vent wasn’t working for me.
My ear canal does get kind of itchy and I feel moisture, so I am a little worried about this. I read it could cause fungus, etc. I have about a month if I need to remake it, and I don’t want to lose the chance to have the right earmold made, so I am trying to get it sanded down quickly and not postpone it due to warranty date. I still can’t wear it all day.
Mouth and jaw positioning during the mold making process can sure make a difference to how the molds fit.
If your mouth was closed, try a new mold with your mouth open.
Do a search on the forum, lots of information.
Okay, I will ask her about this. It’s always closed mouth and still.
Hope to resolve that soreness near the concha. It stay sore until the next day if I press on it. It interferes with me trying the HA as I should all day wear.
@MagicalFairy: Sorry to read of your mould trials. As Jim (@JBC) suggests, keep going back until the mould fits.
After more than just a little sanding, fitting that way becomes hit and miss, because you can’t see where the mould is actually touching the ear. After a few unsuccessful tries, you might as well ditch the mould, since you can’t put back the material you removed from the wrong places, so the fit becomes looser and looser.
I realize that I sound like a broken record, repeating this all the time, but - have you considered acrylic moulds? I can’t wear silicone moulds - I react to it. I wear my hearing aids for 18 hours a day, most days, and I scarcely know that I have moulds in my ears. (I start to feel moisture buildup after 14 hours or so, which I remedy with a quick swipe with a Q-Tip.)
I’m on my 5th set of acrylic moulds (looking back over the years), and I have never had a sore or tender ear. Another plus is that they’re easy to keep spotlessly clean! I can’t recommend them highly enough, because - in addition to the advantages I’ve already mentioned - they provide a really good acoustic coupling, so they help you hear better, too!
The audiologist finally sanded it to where it doesn’t hurt, but she said she was sanding it wrong, so it should have been remade because it may have a slight gap. It seems to work fine without pain at all or much feedback, but I get a slight itching in the canal area. Once in a while it seems to do feedback for some reason, so I take it off for a bit. It works fine the next time I put it back on for some reason. Not sure what is causing this. I think it should be remade at some point.
I know it should have been remade regardless but she kept saying that it will be the same thing having to sand it down. Just giving excuses and I just got tired of it. I just decided to deal with this for now while I get used to the hearing aid and make another one with a different audiologist later. I don’t like it when any professionals that resists trying new things or ignore your feedback and give excuses if you know what I mean. It’s past the trial to remake it anyway. I tried to take advantage of it being included in the price.
I personally don’t think it should itch daily. It seems like it might be moisture buildup after awhile and the earmold move in the ear canal may have a slight gap space that makes it tickles and itch with slight head/mouth movements if you know what I mean. I have an ear lotion that seems to help soothe. She tried to sell me an expensive ear oil, but I was afraid it would cause more movement in the ear since it is oil. She gave me a sample but I don’t feel it helped.
If you’re getting a slight feedback then the mold doesn’t fit right and should be remade. There should be no feedback and the mold needs to fit snugly with power aids. To relieve the itching there’s a product called miracell sold on Amazon. Use sparingly and it will last forever. Sorry for repeating myself. Didn’t realize I had responded previously. The other advantage of miracell is that it makes it easier to slide the mold into your ear
It’s too late to be remade under the trial period. It is past the trial period. I stopped seeing that audiologist as she was just not very flexible if you read above my experience. I will probably wait some time before I make a new one with someone else.