I’m currently in the middle of a trial with Oticon Intent 1. My audiologist is excellent, on Dr. Cliff’s list of 5hose who use best practices. When I went in for the initial meeting, he recommended custom molds. When I asked why, he said he recommends molds for all of his patients unless they are contraindicated by a patient’s audiogram. I had worn molds before, so I had no objection although it’s been a few years. But I was surprised by the suggestion because I hadn’t previously encountered an audiologist who took this approach. He said that his patients almost universally find that they benefit from them.
I’m just throwing this out for discussion so others can comment on it and to make those who are new to hearing aids aware of this point of view.
I wear the Oticon INTENT1 aids with custom ear molds and I love them. I have worn aids for 20 years and always either ITE custom aids or custom ear molds. My only experience with domes were a disaster.
I think most practitioners will go in the opposite direction i.e. consider open fit first unless the audiogram or other factors indicate earmolds. However, the key in any case is to know when to cross the line into earmolds or into domes. Unfortunately, I will see more cases of someone in domes who really should be in earmolds rather than the other way around, so defaulting to earmolds is not necessarily unwise. That being said, many hearing losses can go either way re: domes versus earmolds, so discussing pros and cons of each is prudent.
I think molds are very appropriate for you. You’ve got a big enough loss at 500 Hz where occlusion shouldn’t be an issue and you’ll generally get a much better fit with molds. If you really wanted domes you could probably get by but I think molds would be better.
Like Chuck @cvkemp I’m in the ear mold camp.
There is one caveat with the Intents: Most of the receivers are enclosed in the mold, so if a wire breaks (happened to me, already), the entire mold/receiver has to go back to Oticon for warranty replacement.The new receivers are not backward compatible, either.
Ask if they can order back ups, or be sure your older HA’s are working.
Idk why, but I’ve broken at least 3 of those, on the More, OPN S, and now the Intents.
Perhaps it’s because of my Essential Tremor, and the clumsiness it causes.
I wake up every morning and thank God for blessing me with another day. I am 77 and very healthy. I have never been hospitalized and don’t take any prescription medication. I must take after my great grandfather, he was still working his farm at 105. He passed away just before his 107th birthday, even then it took a fall that broke his hip. The doctors said they couldn’t repair his hip. His comment was if I can’t take care of my own needs I don’t need to be here. He passed away about 72 hours later.
Assuming the business ends of Intent receivers are similar to older ones, a third-party earmold company may be able to make a mold that the receiver slips in and out of. A larger variety of materials may also be available via that route. I love my Microsonic extra-soft silicone molds. Very comfortable and seal well.
You should try custom molds first and switch if doesn’t work. A lot of audiologist won’t suggest them as it is more work for them. For the first time I will try them next week. It’s nice to be able to get information for the web nowadays and to be able to actually protect ourselves from lazy or incompetent audiologists.
i’m also in the custom mold camp. I get much better bass response for music. My left ear has a vent, and my right is fully closed–with no occlusion issues. don’t ask me how or why, I just go with it!
two more things:
my ear canals have been altered by surgeries. I started losing rubber tips inside of my ears when I tried to remove them. yikes!
–also, I often produce a good amount of wax. which means that I had to replace wax guards and even rubber tips frequently.
My custom molds don’t have external wax guards. !!! I thought that was crazy at first. No longer. they’re easy to clean with a brush or a Jodi-Vac. I no longer have to go in to my provider for cleanings. Not having to deal with those tiny wax guards is wonderful. I understand others have custom molds with wax guards.
I do have the wax guards and they are easy to replace. I have the embedded receivers with acrylic custom ear molds. I don’t have issues with wax. I use to have lots of wax issues when I first started wearing aids. My audiologist at that time recommended EarGene. I use it a couple times a week and i no longer have any wax issues or itching ear canals.
