Since hearing aids where first developed years and years ago we have seen so many different styles and advancements in their technology. We first sore hearing aids as these big chunky things that sit behind the ear, these day you can get hearing aids which sit deep in your ear and can't be seen. Below I have a list of some of the most common hearing aids and a description of them.
Behind-The-Ear (BTH)
Behind-The-Ear hearing aids are largest hearing aids where by the hearing sits behind the ear. To get the incoming sound from the hearing aid to your ear, incoming sounds come into the hearing aid and than pass through a plastic tube connected to your ear. These hearing aids are often the least expensive, most reliable and house the most features and power in controlling what the hearing aid can do.
In-The-Ear (ITE)
These hearing aids are not as big as the BTH hearing aids and sit just inside the ear. These hearing aids do not have a large section that sits behind the ear and do not have a tube that runs to the ear. The ITE hearing aids are very comfortable and are also not very expensive (more expensive than BTH) which makes them a great choice if you are looking for something relatively inexpensive and of a smallish nature.
In-The Canal (ITC)
These are smaller than the ITE hearing aids and sit a bit further in the ear so they are not as noticeable. Because they are small they require a lot of skill to control however if you can find it easy to control them they are a great choice. Once again because these are smaller and not as noticeable they are more expensive than the ITE hearing aids.
Completely-In-Canal (CIC)
Completely in canal units are the smallest hearing aids to ever be made, they are so small and site so far down your ear that they require a string to remove them. These hearing aids do not have manual controls since they are so small and can be difficult to remove if you have not been shown how. However the good thing about these hearing aids is that they are totally unnoticeable and have a good sound, they are also the most expensive because they are so small.
Mini-Canals (MC)
Mini canals are great if you want something small but can't quite afford CIC hearing aids, they are the size between ITC and CIC. They also come with a very small volume wheel and are easier to remove than the CIC hearing aids. These are cheaper than the CIC hearing aids since they are a bit larger.
Post-Auricular-Canal (PAC)
These types of hearing aids are new to the market and were created in a bid to separate the processor and the receiver from each other to make a smaller hearing aid without compromising quality and features. What happens is that the small processor sits just behind the ear and than the speaker and receiver sits deep down in the canal. These hearing aids are great since they offer a lot of comfort and feature options.
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