Bone-anchored hearing aids, or BAHA for short, are surgically implanted hearing devices. They aren’t the most common solution to hearing problems, but can provide positive outcomes for specific types of hearing difficulty or when the use of hearing aids is not possible.
BAHA hearing aids are two-part hearing devices consisting of a surgically implanted titanium device and an external shell containing a microphone and sound processor. A popular alternative for glasses wearers are hearing aid glasses.
Most types of hearing aids use microphones, amplifiers, and tiny speakers to conduct sound to the middle ear, after which soundwaves travel to the inner ear and auditory nerve. BAHA hearing aids take a different approach. Sounds are converted to vibrations and transmitted through the bone to a titanium implant just behind the ear. These sounds then vibrate through the bone to the inner ear. Sensitive hairs in the inner ear’s cochlea detect the vibrations as soundwaves that are passed on to the auditory nerve. By sending sound vibrations directly to the inner ear BAHA hearing aids can bypass problems in the middle ear and ear canal that limit hearing. They are a popular alternative to hearing aids for children.
While not for everyone, BAHA hearing aids have some advantages over non-implant hearing aids. BAHA hearing aids are comfortable to wear and no more noticeable than a mini behind-the-ear hearing aid, so you don’t have to be concerned with appearance.
The surgery required to implant BAHA titanium devices is reversible and will not damage your existing hearing. This allows you to take advantage of potential advances in hearing treatments in the future, as the middle ear, inner ear, and auditory nerve are not affected by surgery.
BAHA hearing aids are not susceptible to excessive earwax or fluid buildup in the ear, which can damage the earmolds used with other types of hearing aid. If you have sensitive skin, earmolds can cause irritation or even allergic reactions. BAHA hearing aids avoid these potential complications.
BAHA hearing aids may also support added features, such as Bluetooth connectivity with Apple products, music players, televisions, and phones.
When it comes to patient satisfaction, the International Journal of Health Sciences reports a high degree of satisfaction related to speech perception, sound amplification, and listening to music or the television. The publication determined 90% of BAHA hearing aid users use their hearing aid every day of the week for more than eight hours a day. If you’re a candidate for BAHA hearing aids, they can improve more than just your hearing--they can improve your quality of life. To learn more about BAHA hearing aids, contact a licensed hearing aid professional.
90%
of BAHA hearing aid users use their hearing aid every day of the week.
BAHA hearing aids are best-suited for people with a condition known as single-sided deafness. People living with single-sided deafness have lost all hearing in one ear, while the second ear may be healthy or have some degree of hearing loss. People with single-sided deafness may have difficulty detecting where sounds come from and may struggle to understand speech in environments with high degrees of background noise. Causes of single-sided deafness include the growth of auditory nerve tumors, Meniere’s Disease, and SSHL (sudden sensorineural hearing loss).
BAHA hearing aids offer a solution to people who cannot wear other types of hearing aid due to malformation of the middle ear or ear canal. Malformations of the external ear (or the absence of the external ear due to trauma or congenital defects) can also prevent the use of non-BAHA types of hearing aids.
Chronic ear conditions may also indicate the need for BAHA hearing aids. Chronic and severe ear infections, for instance, can cause fluid to drain from the middle ear into the ear canal, blocking and damaging the earmolds used with other types of hearing aid. A small section of the population has serious allergic reactions to the materials used in earmolds. In such cases BAHA hearing aids offer hearing treatment solutions.
Both adults and children can use BAHA hearing aids. BAHA implant devices are FDA-approved for children over the age of five. For younger children, a BAHA hearing aid with a soft, adjustable headband is available.
Implanting a BAHA hearing aid isn’t a complicated procedure. The surgery is performed on an outpatient basis by an ear, nose, and throat doctor or surgical specialist. The operation takes place under either general or local anesthesia and takes about an hour.
During the procedure, the surgeon removes the skin from a small area behind the ear. A hole is drilled into the mastoid bone, which lies just behind the ear, and a 2-3mm titanium implant is inserted. A small portion of the implant may protrude slightly from the skin for attaching the external portion of the hearing aid (some models use magnets to connect the external sound processor to the implant). The skin is then sewn back into position.
As the bone surrounding the implant heals, the implant bonds with the bone in a process known as osseointegration.
Implanting a BAHA hearing aid isn’t a complicated procedure. The surgery is performed on an outpatient basis by an ear, nose, and throat doctor or surgical specialist. The operation takes place under either general or local anesthesia and takes about an hour.
During the procedure, the surgeon removes the skin from a small area behind the ear. A hole is drilled into the mastoid bone, which lies just behind the ear, and a 2-3mm titanium implant is inserted. A small portion of the implant may protrude slightly from the skin for attaching the external portion of the hearing aid (some models use magnets to connect the external sound processor to the implant). The skin is then sewn back into position.
As the bone surrounding the implant heals, the implant bonds with the bone in a process known as osseointegration.
Not everyone is a suitable candidate for a BAHA hearing aid. Arranging a consultation with an audiologist is your first step. If the audiologist recommends BAHA hearing aids, they’ll often allow you to get a sense of how a BAHA device will sound and feel by offering an in-office demonstration of the device.
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