CANAL RECEIVER TECHNOLOGY:
Our Most Popular and Preferred Hearing Aid

Canal Receiver Technology is a new style of miniature behind the ear hearing aid in which the receiver (speaker) is placed directly into the ear canal while the technology (microphone and digital amplification) and battery is behind the ear. The receiver is at the end of a transmitter wire rather than a tube. Thus, sound is being transmitted to the ear rather than being transferred through a tube. This process eliminates impedance of the auditory signal, resulting in more natural sound. The tip inserted into the ear canal is small, open, and flexible, allowing the ear canal to remain un-occluded. This preserves natural canal resonance and eliminates the occlusion affect (feeling like you are plugged and hearing from down in a barrel).

For the past 3 years, Open Ear Miniature Behind The Ear Hearing Aids have been available, using non-occluding tips attached to the end of a slim tube. These hearing aids preserve natural ear canal resonance and prevent occlusion, and have been extremely successful in improving the hearing of people suffering from mild to moderate high frequency hearing loss. However, these instruments are unable to accommodate hearing losses that are lower frequency or more moderate to severe in degree. This is due to the use of a slim tube. The “transmitter wire and canal receiver design” of Canal Receiver Behind the Ear technology, however, allows for successful fitting of low frequency and moderate to severe hearing losses since less effort is required to produce the necessary amplification.
Furthermore, a custom fit ear mold can actually be made to fit Canal Receiver Behind The Ear instruments, making them extremely flexible in fitting severe hearing loss. Canal Receiver Behind The Ear instruments (like Open Ear BTE with slim tube) do not require earmold impressions, allowing the fitting of these instruments to take place during your first visit.

DIGITAL CIRCUITRY:
What Features are available?

Sounds, especially speech signals, simply cannot be made louder. Sound must be “preprocessed” to enhance frequency patterns of each hearing loss as well as taking loudness recruitment, or abnormal loudness growth, into account. Digital processing enables the hearing aid to adjust automatically according to the different frequency bands where hearing is deficient. Softer sounds are made audible while louder sounds are attenuated, thus keeping the amplification in comfort levels for each individual. Digital processing allows for flexibility within the hearing instrument, resulting in a more efficient adjustment to each individual’s hearing loss.

Digital sound processing makes Canal Receiver Technology possible. Sounds are "preprocessed" to enhance frequency patterns of each hearing loss while taking loudness recruitment, or abnormal loudness growth, into account. Across several frequency ranges, softer sounds, such as consonant speech sounds, are made more audible while louder sounds are attenuated, or compressed. Think of digital processing as an equalizer on your stereo system!

Digital processing combined with a non-impeding signal and an open, non occluding fit results in the most comfortable fit and best listening experience possible.

Digital processing along with canal receiver technology has greatly improved the ease of listening in background noise. Directional microphones focus on the speech signal in front of the listener while reducing the surrounding background noises. This improves listening and understanding in areas such as restaurants, church, classrooms, and even concerts or ball games. Thus, directional microphone with canal receiver technology provides the most success for hearing in background noise to date!

Here are some digital circuitry options available in ALL styles of digital hearing aids today:

• Fixed Directional Microphone: This technology focuses on the speech signal while reducing background noise, thus improving “signal to noise ratio”. Signals from the rear and sides are diminished while the signals in front of the listener are enhanced. The null, or greatest area of sound reduction, occurs in the rear. The hearing aid wearer accesses directional microphone by pressing a button on the hearing aid.
  
  
• Adaptive Directional Microphone: This system actually follows the sound and reduces the background noise from rear to sides, even when the sound is moving (i.e., car traveling behind the user from left to right). Thus, the null is moved to where the background noise is the greatest. The hearing aid wearer accesses adaptive directional microphone by pressing a button on the hearing aid.
  
  
• Automatic Directional Microphone (AutoPro): This system allows the hearing aid to automatically switch from surround sound to fixed or adaptive directional microphone mode, without the need to press a button. The instrument automatically detects when the background noise reaches the noise level requiring activation of the directional microphone. When the background noise in the room diminishes, the instrument automatically switches back to the omnidirectional (or surround sound) destination. Thus, AutoPro integrates multiple “sound destinations” into one automatic function for a better listening experience.
  
  
• AntiShock: This technology eliminates the discomfort of sudden, unsettling noises, like dishes clattering, by identifying and minimizing impulse sounds without affecting speech.
  
  
• Speech Enhancement: Level dependent technology permits the application of greater gain for speech cues while maintaining signal stability and comfort.
  
  
• LearnNow (exclusively with Unitron Hearing Systems): Using a special remote control, LearnNow allows you to teach your hearing aids your preferred setting for each situation. Thus, you actually “teach” your hearing aid to make an automatic adjustment for each specific listening situation you encounter.
  
  
• Comfort-Clarity Balance (exclusively with Unitron Hearing Systems): Unlike a volume control, which only raises or lowers all sounds, this control allows you to raise or lower the level of speech in background noise.
  
  

CUSTOM FIT HEARING AIDS:
What do they look like?

However, many people still prefer and successfully use custom fit digital hearing aids. We offer custom fit hearing instruments, all of which can include the aforementioned circuitry options, for those with a preference for custom fit instruments.

These are photos of Unitron Hearing Aids

Behind the ear (BTE) Fits over the top of your ear. Tube connects to a custom fit earmold which fills the bowl of the ear.

In The Ear (FULL SHELL) Fills the bowl of the outer ear. Easy to handle, especially for people with arthritis and dexterity problems.

In The Canal (ITC) Fills the entrance of the ear canal.

Completely In The Canal (CIC) Smallest hearing aid available. Hidden within the ear canal. Removal wire helps to insert and remove aid.

Open Ear BTE with Slim Tube Miniature behind the ear hearing aid that hides behind the ear and uses a slim tube to connect to a small canal tip. Keeps canal open, eliminating occlusion (feeling like your ear is plugged and your voice sounding like it’s in a barrel).

BAHA IMPLANTABLE SYSTEM:

A select group of patients in our office are unable to wear hearing aids in the ear canal, including the Open Fit BTE with slim tube and the Canal Receiver BTE Technology.
This group includes:

• Patients with chronically draining ears, where the use of an hearing aid aggravates the infection, causes feedback, discomfort, and poor sound quality.
  
• Patients with congenital malformations and embryopathies where the cochlear function is adequate, but where there are no ear canals (atresia or stenosis of the outer ear canal).
  
• Patients with a conductive hearing loss due to chronic mastoidits or ossicular disease that cannot be surgically corrected.
  
• Patients with total hearing loss in one ear and a conductive hearing loss in the other ear.
  
• Patients with complete unilateral hearing loss due to acoustic neuroma, sudden deafness, or genetic unilateral hearing loss who are unable to successfully use CROS or BCROS amplification.

Now there is a hearing system available for this select category of patients. Introducing the BAHA DIVINO and BAHA INTENSO, a surgically implanted system that uses bone conduction, in which skull bone vibrations act as a pathway for sound to travel to the inner ear without involving the ear canal or the inner ear. This is accomplished by surgically implanting a small titanium implant on the bone behind the ear. The bone (mastoid process) actually ossifies around the implant, thus stabilizing the implant so a sound processor can be connected and disconnected by the user. This surgical procedure is performed under local anesthesia and is considered minor surgery from both the physician’s and patient’s point of view.

Prior to this surgery, a demonstration of the Baha system is performed using the Baha Testband, so that the patient can experience the results of this system prior to surgery. The testband with the hearing device is placed around the wearer’s head, with the sound processor against the bone behind the ear. This gives the patient the information and listening experience needed for his/her decision to proceed with the surgery. The Baha system, being considered a surgical procedure, is also covered by insurance and medicare.