Ear molds for hearing aids - what kind are most comfortable?

Nita Thomas

Nita Thomas

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I am having a very difficult time with the newer soft ear molds. Unlike the hard plastic ones I had with the air holes that made wearing seem easier, these ones have no air holes, they seem to pop out of my ear very easily and I am not always aware that they are not fully inserted in when that happens. They also need so much more care -- I need a dehumidifier for them. I have a few extra tools for cleaning them. Also my ears seem to feel blocked up more while wearing them.

They are a pain to use to me. I never needed a dehumidifier with the hard molds, they didn't pop partially out of my ear, they were much easier to clean. My audiologist wants $75.00 per mold for me to get those hard ear molds back.

Does anyone else have those sort of problems with the softer molds?
 
Nita Thomas said:
I am having a very difficult time with the newer soft ear molds. Unlike the hard plastic ones I had with the air holes that made wearing seem easier, these ones have no air holes, they seem to pop out of my ear very easily and I am not always aware that they are not fully inserted in when that happens. They also need so much more care -- I need a dehumidifier for them. I have a few extra tools for cleaning them. Also my ears seem to feel blocked up more while wearing them.

They are a pain to use to me. I never needed a dehumidifier with the hard molds, they didn't pop partially out of my ear, they were much easier to clean. My audiologist wants $75.00 per mold for me to get those hard ear molds back.

Does anyone else have those sort of problems with the softer molds?
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Did your hearing loss get worse? If it did that could be why the audiologist put you in the soft molds. If it didn't I would tell him/her that the soft molds aren't working out and you want to go back to hard molds with a vent. Unless he/she can justify why they put you in the soft molds the cost of the hard molds should be on them.
 
I've had both hard and soft molds in the past (profound loss). Silicone molds (I think that's what this pair is) work best for me as with the hard ones they always popped out or didn't fit right after some time passed.
$75 bucks for earmolds? A bit high unless they're custom made! I'd have to look to see how much I paid for the ones I have now so that could be the normal rate these days.

If they're popping out easily like that- they weren't made correctly. I'd suggest either going back and having new ones remade (and ask that you not pay for 'em) or finding a new audio to do them. If/when you do get new ones, move your jaw around a little like chewing while the mold is setting...sometimes that helps in getting a better fit.
 
DeafDucky said:
I've had both hard and soft molds in the past (profound loss). Silicone molds (I think that's what this pair is) work best for me as with the hard ones they always popped out or didn't fit right after some time passed.
$75 bucks for earmolds? A bit high unless they're custom made! I'd have to look to see how much I paid for the ones I have now so that could be the normal rate these days.

If they're popping out easily like that- they weren't made correctly. I'd suggest either going back and having new ones remade (and ask that you not pay for 'em) or finding a new audio to do them. If/when you do get new ones, move your jaw around a little like chewing while the mold is setting...sometimes that helps in getting a better fit.
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It's been a few years since I got molds made (I switch to hard ones so that I would not have to keep replacing them). Back then, it was $75/each as I recall.

My audi has me bite on a piece of hard form while taking the impression.

I agree that if the mold does not fit right, they need to replace them at their cost. I believe you have x number of days to do this, so if you had them made recently, get back there asap and tell them you need them redone.
 
No, my hearing was stable... but I moved to a whole different area so I couldn't go to my usual Audiologist, and I was very happy with that service. This gal seems to be more intend on making money than on having happy customers. I used to get my tubes replaced, most of the time for free, and it was no problem to walk in and wait while they were replaced. Later on tho, I really needed to make an appointment for that since her schedule was pretty full. Good customer service means customers return! But this new place doesn't do that ... she wants money for everything. I never needed a dehumidifier for my molds before. The last set of molds cost me $35.00 but that was probably about 4 or 5 years ago.

I asked her about air holes in the soft plastic molds... and I guess they can't do that.
 
It bothered me when I saw my soft molds turning yellow. Nobody ever saw it, but I did. Hard plastic stays looking nice.
 
MCB said:
It bothered me when I saw my soft molds turning yellow. Nobody ever saw it, but I did. Hard plastic stays looking nice.
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The yellow is wax- I see/saw that all the time on the soft molds I had over the years. I wish I could say the hard molds I had stayed looking nice but they never did either. They turned a yellowish/brown tint too...

Someday I hope there's a mold that adapts to your ear shape...your ears are the first to gain/lose weight from what I've read lol.
 
I have had this pair for a year, and they still look nice.
 
MCB said:
I have had this pair for a year, and they still look nice.
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My hard ones still look nice. Can't remember how old they are. There is some discoloration but it seems to be in the tubing.
 
My earmolds are about $45. I use an online service. They have both Lucite (hard) and Silicone (soft). Their silicone ones are not the super soft ones anymore. They are kind of medium soft somewhere between hard and soft.

If you are comfortable with doing the impressions yourself you can use Lloyds Hearing Aids - https://lloydhearingaid.com/accessories/188/custom-earmold-bte--hard-lucite

They send you the impressions kit. It comes with two impressions per ear so they have more than one to work with if one was not as good. You send it back and they ship out the earmold when done. The tubing is already in place. You just need to cut it to size.

As far as discoloration, both my soft and hard earmolds get discolored with time.
 
Nita Thomas said:
No, my hearing was stable... but I moved to a whole different area so I couldn't go to my usual Audiologist, and I was very happy with that service. This gal seems to be more intend on making money than on having happy customers. I used to get my tubes replaced, most of the time for free, and it was no problem to walk in and wait while they were replaced. Later on tho, I really needed to make an appointment for that since her schedule was pretty full. Good customer service means customers return! But this new place doesn't do that ... she wants money for everything. I never needed a dehumidifier for my molds before. The last set of molds cost me $35.00 but that was probably about 4 or 5 years ago.

I asked her about air holes in the soft plastic molds... and I guess they can't do that.
Click to expand...
If your loss is stable I would go back and have her explain why she went with soft molds. Since you had the others for 4-5 years with no problems I would stick with the hard molds. Changing the tubes is actually very easy and there are several youtube video's walking you through the procedure. I clean mine by putting them in a cup of hot/hot water and then using a toothbrush to clean them, when done they look like new!
 
Nita Thomas said:
I am having a very difficult time with the newer soft ear molds. Unlike the hard plastic ones I had with the air holes that made wearing seem easier, these ones have no air holes, they seem to pop out of my ear very easily and I am not always aware that they are not fully inserted in when that happens. They also need so much more care -- I need a dehumidifier for them. I have a few extra tools for cleaning them. Also my ears seem to feel blocked up more while wearing them.

They are a pain to use to me. I never needed a dehumidifier with the hard molds, they didn't pop partially out of my ear, they were much easier to clean. My audiologist wants $75.00 per mold for me to get those hard ear molds back.

Does anyone else have those sort of problems with the softer molds?
Click to expand...
Nita Thomas said:
I am having a very difficult time with the newer soft ear molds. Unlike the hard plastic ones I had with the air holes that made wearing seem easier, these ones have no air holes, they seem to pop out of my ear very easily and I am not always aware that they are not fully inserted in when that happens. They also need so much more care -- I need a dehumidifier for them. I have a few extra tools for cleaning them. Also my ears seem to feel blocked up more while wearing them.

They are a pain to use to me. I never needed a dehumidifier with the hard molds, they didn't pop partially out of my ear, they were much easier to clean. My audiologist wants $75.00 per mold for me to get those hard ear molds back.

Does anyone else have those sort of problems with the softer molds?
Click to expand...
I use the foam plugs my ears have a tenticy to expand and contrast in summer they seam to work good for me I had issues with mold before and they would only last about a year!
 
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