Earwax blocking your hearing aids?! No more. Introducing Phonak EasyGuard.

I have some good news for you if your ears create a lot of earwax and you need to regularly replace the earwax filters of your hearing aids. The new invention by Phonak solved the problem. The Phonak EasyGuard domes seal off the receiver and stop the earwax from blocking the tips of the receiver. Are you wondering how this works? Continue reading this article.

What are hearing aid domes made of?

Hearing aid domes are made of medical-grade silicone. They are durable and need to be cleaned with medical cleaning wipes.

What are the functions of hearing aid domes?

The silicon domes at the tip of the receivers of your hearing aids have multiple purposes. The eartip or earpiece domes:

1. Retain the receiver in the ear canal

2. Centre the tip of the receiver at the centre of the ear canal for optimum acoustic performance of the generated sound in your ear canals

3. Help keep all or some of the sound created by the receiver in the ear canal, while allowing some of the environmental sound to travel naturally through and arrive at your eardrum

   
   

Why are domes crucial to the performance of the hearing aids?

I remember from my time at the uni that our lecturer always said, "acoustics first". The little silicon domes at the tip of the receivers of your hearing aid are the main component of the right acoustics to the fitting and the sound quality of your hearing aids. If they are not chosen correctly, you may experience:

1. The dome starts migrating out (retention issues), especially when talking or chewing food (please note that some ear canals need to be fitted with micromoulds due to the irregular shape of the ear canal). More on this in the article.)

2. They don't feel comfortable

3. Feedback or whistling

4. Over or under-amplification of the sound

5. Occlusion effect (hearing your own voice loudly)

Phonak EasyGuard Domes - For best earwax management

£19.95

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What are the key benefits of Phonak EasyGuard domes?

I can name the following four benefits of Phonak EasyGuards:

1. Easy to clean design, helping minimise interruptions in hearing performance caused by wax build-up,

2. No filters or complex tools required — simply wipe the dome with a soft cloth or tissue

3. They are acoustically transparent, hence have minimal impact on the patient's hearing when switching from the old domes to the Phonak EasyGuard

Phonak EasyGuard seals the receiver. Do they attenuate the sound, too?

According to Phonak, a lot of time and resources were spent on the material and the design of the new EasyGUards to be as acoustically transparent as possible. As per the following curves, you can see that the drop in sound or better say the acoustic response of the new EasyGuard domes, compared to the older model Phonak domes.

Are Phonak EasyGuard domes more expensive than older models of Phonak Domes?

Maybe slightly, and I would say it's worth it, because you will save a lot in the long run. Phonak EasyGUard domes may be a bit more expensive than the older Phonak domes. The reason is that Phonak spent a lot of resources on the composition of a silicon that is durable yet acoustically transparent to the sound. From the user's point of view, using EasyGuard domes will certainly save the patient the cost of frequent earwax filter packs. It will save you money and time, and remove the concern of your hearing aid getting blocked by earwax right in the middle of a dinner gathering.

Do Phonak EasyGuar domes need cleaning?

Your body is creating earwax continuously. You need to clean the tip of the Phonak EasyGuard dome when you see that there is earwax or skin accumulated on it. If you forget that, you may notice that the sound quality of the hearing aids has dropped, which signals that the tips of the EasyGuard domes need some cleaning.

How and how often should I clean Phonak EasyGuard domes?

I would say check your EasyGuard domes whenever you remove them from your ears at night, or in the morning before you place them in your ear. If you see earwax and skin debris accumulation, clean the fins of the EasyGuard domes with wipes (regular or alcohol wipes are just fine).

I started using EasyGuard domes. Do I need to replace the earwax filter at all?

The Phonak EasyGUard domes seal the tip of the receiver. So, if you use EasyGuard domes for your hearing aids, then there is no need to replace the earwax filter at the tip of the receivers. The only time that I see there might be a need to replace the earwax filter is when the fins of the EasyGuard dome start cracking (or even tear apart) and expose the tip of the receiver to earwax. In such a scenario, you can check the tip of the receiver to see if there is a need for cleaning only or if the earwax needs to be replaced.

What models of Phonak hearing aids can use EasyGuard domes?

The Phonak EsyGuard domes can be fitted on Phonak SDS 4.0, 5.0 and 6.0 receivers, which means they can be used on Phonak Marvel, Paradise, Lumity and Infinio, as well as the most recent models of Unitron hearing aids.

My hearing aids are not Phonak. Can I use Phonak EasyGuards for my hearing aids?

I did check Phonak EasyGuard domes on other hearing aid models, and here is the list of the hearing aids that can use Phonak EasyGuard sealed domes:

• Signia RIC hearing aids

• Signia Active IX (not suitable for Signia Active X)

• Signia Silk CIC

• Widex RIC hearing aids

• Rexton RIC hearing aids

• Rexton Reach inoX CIC

• Starkey RIC hearing aids

I am afraid EasyGuard domes will be too loose when fitted on Oticon, Bernafon and Resound hearing aids.