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Custom Ear Molds Material?

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Hi guys, what do you think is the best material for custom ear molds if one ear of mine is narrow and the other is wider? I went to Costco to pick up the acrylic ear molds for the Jabra Enhance Pro 30s, but the ear molds kept slipping out of place. They slip out more whenever I move my jaw.

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Edited

When they did the impressions did you move your jaws as if you were eating or talking. I learned that a long time ago. I have been wearing aids for 20 years and always either In The Ear aids or ear molds out of acrylic material.

I didn’t. But when the hearing aid dispenser person spoke with me he told me right before he put the custom mold that he didn’t like the way it was made he said it was too shallow.

I have had that problem in the past and actually do with my present ear molds but my present ones are full skeleton ear molds that are held in place by the external part of the molds. But that has it’s own issues with irritation and sore spots.

Oh. I was thinking of doing the silicone custom ear molds the one he did for me is the acrylic and I guess that is the most common?

It all depends on your hearing loss and the receivers that you need. For me acrylic is my only option

After looking at your I also have to ask why ear molds.

In reply to @Raudrive

I think im tired explaining. I’ve explained so much it gets tiring for me, but is not the best for determining hearing loss for a rare issue that I have.

Jabra Enhance Pro 30 Programming
Given the issues above; there’s more to this than meets the eye. Firstly, any program is going to recommend barely any gain due to the flat audiogram. Secondly: the dome/mould recommendation will likely be very open -which will disappear any low frequency output. Thirdly: Given the risk of hyperacusis, I’d perhaps wind down ALL the G90 (high) levels too. I’m not saying you should ‘throw away the playbook’ but……. 1, Turn off the loud outputs (g90) 2, Try tulip domes. 3, Tell the SW you are…

I’m often asked about my , specifically why I wear hearing aids, despite having good or perfect hearing. I deal with hEDS (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome - Hypermobility type), (Auditory Processing Disorder), Hyperacuity, Tinnitus, Tensor Tympani, and Stapedial Myoclonus Syndrome. All these combined cause a static/broken speaker sound, which affects my hearing. When exposed to a loud background sound, perfect hearing drops down to very bad hearing. Now, how do they all correlate? The hEDS causes my eardrums to be very hypermobile. The APD makes it difficult for me to process sound. The tinnitus gives me a ringing in the ear sensation. The tensor tympani and stapedial myoclonus cause the ear muscles to spasm, thus causing static/broken speaker/eustachian tube dysfunction issues. The hyperacuity makes my ears sensitive to background sounds, such as the tapping of pencils and the chirping of birds, and all these sounds seem loud to me. I was told by an , Audiologists, and Audiologists with APD training that low-gain hearing aids will benefit me and those who really control background sound. I hope this will explain why I wear hearing aids.

In reply to @Deadman42

Sorry but I didn’t know your history.

Maybe when you start a thread a little information about your hearing would help us understand. Lots of members in this forum, no one knows everything about everyone.

Good luck

You could just ask people to look at your profile and to scroll down. It would save you the trouble of explaining - or a lot of copying and pasting. :slightly_smiling_face:

In reply to @Deadman42

Not a expert, I did diy self programming with Phonak before going .

If you want to bump up your prescription equally you could do your insitu or use your audiogram from your fitter, either way should work. Then try a 5 db increase to each frequency in your audiogram. Enter this into the software. This would systematically increase gains using the software without getting into all the different gains opening the door for mistakes.

Good luck

In reply to @Deadman42

Did Costco give you any pushback about your use of hearing aids or they were ok with it once you explained? Did excercises help you at all?

You could try an open jaw impression, a deeper fit mold, using a canal lock (or other) mold shape to help with retention, or a softer and possibly stickier mold material? Did domes slip in a similar way? Are you wiping the skin oils the mold each night?

In reply to @Deadman42

@Deadman42 said:

No worries, I tend to get depressed about it. But all good, I will remember next time.

Geez Deadman42, you have my empathy! I was all set to chime in with my own 2-cents’ worth about type of mold … and I’m very glad you shared the details of your condition, hEDS, cuz I’ve never heard of that before, and DOGONNE would I love to swap with you … other than having hEDS to deal with. I was born with poor hearing, and it has stair-stepped down, down, down, DOWN like Led Zepellin song to what it is today at age 70.

You are BRAVE and very PROACTIVE to tackle this hEDS head-on - GO FOR IT. I hope that Costco can deliver on aids that are functional and truly alter your quality of life.

All that said, I wanted to add my own 35+ yrs experience: no matter if you get molds made while chewing gum, YAWNING, reciting your alma matter or lips sealed tighter than a drum (I’ve done ‘em all, ALL) speakers in the ear have a tendency to slide backward out of the canal. Normal articulation of talking, chewing, yawning, singing, ALL of that will put pressure on the jaw & ear canal area. I’ve tried those “leashes” that supposedly hold the aid in place? Nope! I’ve had custom aids that fit in my canal. Still slipped out. For me, I also have daily swelling of my ear canals, so in the morning I need a jackhammer to seat the speaker; then, throughout the day, I’m shoving them back in 100s of times like pushing glasses up my nose. Annoying, but I’ve come to live with it. AND I’m allergic to all materials but the soft-dome silicone power tips OR the ugly flesh-colored shiny plastic material.

My last ditch attempt is to try titanium, so I’m going in for custom molds to see how that does.

Mainly: persevere on your path. You’re in the right direction. And come back here to post questions, concerns and SUCCESS as it comes to you.

I only wish Oticon would offer silicone ear molds as an option gor my aids and receivers, the only option is the acrylic. Even having the new thermal materials would be a help. At thos time I am in discussion with my audiologist about switching to Phonak aids. I love the sound of my INTENT1 aids but I am having issues and sore spots with the ear molds. Maybe ditching the full skeleton ear molds for sometime that more resembles a hearing aids will work and help.

I can see you going with Phonak in the ear aids that now are Bluetooth. The Spheres are tempting too.

It surprises me Oticon doesn’t offer silicon molds.

If I wore 60 or 85 db receivers I could get other than acrylic custom ear molds. I really like what I have read about the Phonak Virtio R infinio aids. My audiologist said he will research them as they should be on the new contract the first of November. I started my hearing aid journey with aids and still feel they are more comfortable than the aids. Most definitely with me wearing a motorcycle helmet when I ride my Vespa.

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