Hearing Care Specialists - Hopkins, Glencoe, and Watertown, MN

The best thing in hearing aid technology will soon hit doctor’s offices to be used in patients suffering from deafness and hearing impaired conditions. Bone conduction hearing aid technology is a breakthrough device that has had much success in the treatment of a variety of hearing loss types. It’s experienced limited use so far, but it’s slated to become the next big technology to come down the pike in quite some time. It’s still in clinical trials right now but within a year should emerge onto the marketplace.

The inner and middle ear areas are where most permanent hearing loss occurs. Bone Conduction Implants, also known as BCIs, can basically replace these areas via state-of-the-art technology that attaches to the skull bone underneath the skin behind the ear. In contrast, most modern permanent hearing aids are anchored in the skull. BCIs are desirable over other types because they don’t have a high rate of infection. This is due to the method of implantation as well as the location.

BCI has three main parts that all work in tandem: the titanium implant, an abutment that mounts through the skin, and a sound processor. What this processor does is pick up sound just like a traditional hearing aid. However, the sound goes to the ear canal via the abutment and implant right to the brain, bypassing the damaged portions of the middle ear. This especially works great for single-sided deafness because rather than send sound to the inner ear on the deaf side, it sends it to the unaffected ear.

While still in the study and implementation stage at companies and universities, this newer technology has already helped thousands of users achieve success in hearing. However, it will still take about a year for this bone conduction implant technology to become widespread. This technology is anticipated to provide relief for those who suffer from middle ear trauma.
