I have had my Phonak Lumitys with domes for about two months now and am just beginning to get comfortable wearing them all day. My audiologist set them up with retention tails - says she does this for all new patients. I was wondering if this is common practice and whether experienced HA wearers use retention tails. Are they actually effective keeping the HAs in place?
It would appear that I need to wear one, like it or not, as I can’t seem to get regular domes to stay as deep in my ear canal as I would like otherwise.
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This is a very individual preference. I wouldn’t cut them off just yet until you have had enough time to see if your domes stay in the aural canal. If you have moulds that’s entirely different. With the movement of you jaw when talking, drinking or eating domes can work there way out of the canal…
With every hearing aid I’ve had I cut them off before I left the clinic, they irritated me no end.
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I wouldn’t know how to fish out my (Phonak Audéos) domes without those “antennas”. From the stories I see here, using the electric cable for this is a very bad idea…
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I use them, the only problem I find is, whilst cleaning my aids the tail sometimes slips off the receiver. So it’s trial and error to get them back in the correct position.
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I ride a bike wearing my HAs, so I used the retainers until I started with molds. I miss the retainers because the aids get wet and slippery. With the molds, I have to be very attentive to my hearing. I tell myself that I’ll stop as quickly as i can if I sense a hearing loss so I can start searching for the aid as quickly as possible. There things that help with molds, but I’m fighting with amazon right now, and I don’t want to spend another dime with them if I can help it.
I use them with my Oticons. A couple of weeks ago I suddenly felt something touch my face. it was one of my hearing aids. the retainer was holding it in my ear canal after i somehow managed to have the aid itself slip from behind my ear. If I wasn’t using the retainers I would have probably lost the aid.
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Removal line is the only thing I’ve used them for. If you have the right size dome, and push them in all they way, they “should” stay in.
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I use one in one ear. The other ear doesn’t need one.
Me too
I have Phonak Audeo Paradise P90Rs. I talked to the dispensing Audi
He just didn’t get it. The receivers are a different size! He gave me sports locks that fit my previous Phonaks. They got in the way every time I changed my wax guards.
He never figured it out. Hope he retires soon.
I must have them to keep the domes in my ear properly. I find improved quality of hearing with the retainers, because the domes don’t stay as deep in my ear without them.
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I use them. They help and don’t bother me.
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Can’t stand those. Tried them & immediately had the audi remove them. If I’m going to be in situation where I have a concern about the HAs coming off (e.g. traveling via air with masks) I use a chain/holster from Deaf Metal attached to an earring.
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It really strongly depends on individual anatomy.
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I have been wearing HAs for roughly 25 years. I always use retention tails.
Twice over the years, I have had a wire break off the RIC while it was in one of my ears. Each time, I have had to go to a doctor to have them fish it out of my ear canal. When the problem has occurred with the tail still attached it was simple to remove the HA.
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I like the short ones! Made ones out of fishing mono filament!
I am another person who needs to use one (just one). The right HA needs it to stay in. The left HA doesn’t. Shape of the ear canals causes the difference for me. They are easily added or removed from my More RICs, though… just take off the dome and the retainer (whip, concha lock, etc) comes right off.
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I use them! They’re much easier to take out with them on. Plus if I don’t use them the domes will pop out of my ears. 
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Need for “keepers” depends a lot on how much your ear canal changes when you chew, yawn . . . etc. They have never “annoyed” me and I feel safer knowing it will be hard for them to fall out. I recently had a silicone custom mold made and had them put the “tail” on it which does the same thing.
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Retention tails often are an essential barrier to losing hearing aids. I cannot imagine why anyone would object. They are easy to put in place, can’t be felt when they are there, and help stabilize domes/receivers especially when a wearer is moving around. A hearing aid can fall out without the wearer knowing what happened—this occurred to me, costing a $300 insurance co-pay to replace it. The retention tail had come loose, and I unwisely had not replaced it. I now have some extras, obtained on Amazon, for when this happens again.
I was not engaging in vigorous activity when this happened: If I were doing that, I would remove my hearing aids or, if that seemed unwise, I’d use some of those retainer clips, which are a considerable hassle to install and remove. But in an extreme situation, they could be necessary. Meanwhile, for anything less than an athletic-like situation, retention tails are just the thing.
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