Hearing Aid Styles
Behind-the-Ear (BTE)
Behind-the-Ear (BTE) hearing aids consist of a hard plastic case worn behind the ear and connected to a plastic earmold by a piece of clear tubing. The electronic parts are held in the case behind the ear. BTE aids are used by people of all ages for mild to profound hearing loss.
An open-fit hearing aid solution is also available with this style. Small, open-fit aids fit behind the ear completely, with only a narrow tube connecting to a dome, inserted into the ear canal, enabling the canal to remain open. For this reason, open-fit hearing aids may be a good choice for people who experience a buildup of earwax, since this type of aid is less likely to be damaged by such substances. In addition, some people may prefer the open-fit hearing aids because their perception of their voice does not sound “plugged up.”
In-the-Ear (ITE)
Completely-in-the-Canal (CIC)
Receiver-in-the-Canal (RIC)
Receiver-in-Canal (RIC) hearing aids consist of hard plastic case worn behind the ear and connected to a plastic earmold by a thin electrical wire. Most of the electronic parts are held in the case behind the ear, however the speaker rests in the ear canal, allowing for cosmetic advantages (eg: smaller case) and acoustic advantages. RIC aids are used by people of all ages for mild to profound hearing loss.
An open-fit hearing aid solution is available with this style. Open-fit means, the thin electrical wire is connected to a small dome, rather than a plastic earmold, which is inserted into the ear canal enabling the canal to remain open. For this reason, open-fit hearing aids may be a good choice for people who have a high frequency hearing loss, as this allows for the normal flow of low frequencies to be unaffected. Some prefer the open-fit hearing aid because their perception of their voice does not sound “plugged up.”