Swim Molds are used to help prevent water from getting into the ear. Swim molds are made from a special material so that they will not sink in water. Swim molds are often used for patients recovering from ear infections or ear surgery, as well as those with chronic conditions such as drainage, must keep their ear canals dry to prevent more severe problems from developing. While no swim mold can create an absolutely watertight seal in the ear canal, properly fit custom made swim molds will keep out most of the moisture that can aggravate outer ear conditions. Ideal for bathing, showering or swimming, swim molds are simply soft custom earmolds without any bore or tubing.
Personal listening earmolds are designed to be coupled to your personal earphones/earbuds. Having custom fit molds can help provide you with a more comfortable listening experience. Custom molds are able to block out background noise better than traditional earphones, which may enable you to listen to your device at a softer volume.
Hearing conservation earmolds are available in several different types/styles. Your hearing can be permanently damaged by loud sounds. Damage can occur gradually over several exposures, but it can also occur from a single event. Hearing damage can reduce both the volume and clarity of sound. Tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, may also result from hearing damage. There are several different types of earmolds to help protect your ears from hazardous sounds. Each style has a Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) which details how much protection it can provide with proper use. (NRR varies by material, venting and style of mold)
- Traditional earplugs help to protect from several different types of hazardous noise by attenuate external sounds. For example, power tool use, machine noise, fireworks, etc.
- Shooter/hunting ear plugs. There are several different types of earplugs designed to be used during firearms use. There are both active and passive protective devices. Active devices use an electronic circuit to restrict harmful sound when it happens, but allows for full awareness of environmental sound at all other times. This active feature offers a significant advantage to traditional, or passive, protection which restricts as much sound as possible the entire time it is worn in the ear.
- Musician ear plugs. Musician ear plugs utilize acoustic filtering to provide high fidelity listening at a reduced volume. The use of advanced filtering helps to maintain sound quality. This enables users to keep the desired clarity of sound, while also helping to protect their hearing from damage. There are various filtering levels that can often be interchanged in a single ear piece.
- Sleep earplugs are designed specifically to be slept in. These earplugs help reduce the volume of sound around you while also fitting comfortably so that they may be used while you sleep.
Occupational/Communication/Tactical earpieces are available for specialty uses. Custom communication earmolds can be used for motorcyclists, broadcast journalists, security/police officers, pilots, and anesthesiologists just to name a few.
The first step of getting a custom crafted mold is getting an impression of your ear. This will be done by one of our Doctors of Audiology. Taking an impression of your ear will provide an exact mold of your ear, which enables our team to provide you with a precisely fit earpiece.
