Hearing Aid Styles

Receiver-In-The-Canal (RIC) - RIC's are small, sleek hearing instruments that attach to ultra-thin, almost invisible tubing and soft, comfortable tips that are inserted into your ears. A common complaint of hearing instrument wearers is the feeling of their ears being plugged up. This is known as occlusion and is caused by the earmold or custom instruments being placed into the ear. By utilizing special tubing and tips, Open Ear and RIC BTEs dramatically reduce occlusion by creating a more comfortable listening experience.

Completely-in-the-Canal (CIC) - CIC hearing instruments are the smallest, custom-designed hearing instruments. Hidden in the shadow of your ear canal, they fit deep inside your ear and are virtually invisible. Siemens Micro-CIC^TM is the smallest CIC available today. CIC hearing instruments are created to fit your unique ear shape. Due to their small size, CIC hearing instruments don't usually have any manual controls, so all features and functions are programmed to perform automatically - making them easy to use and comfortable to wear.

In-the-Canal (ITC) - ITC hearing instruments are custom-designed to fit almost entirely in the ear canal. Less visible than In-the-Ear models, ITCs take up only about one quarter of the concha - the indented, bowl-like outer portion of your ear. ITC hearing instruments are created specifically to fit your unique ear size and shape. They may have manual controls for volume and special listening programs, or these features may function automatically - giving you the option of how much or how little you control your instrument.

In-the-Ear (ITE) hearing instruments are custom made to fit within the concha - the indented, bowl-like outer portion of your ear. ITEs are the most widely recommended hearing instrument style for adults because of their design and control options. Custom hearing instruments are not usually recommended for children since their ears are continually growing. ITEs can have many features and options that make wearing hearing instruments more comfortable and user-friendly. They may have controls for manual adjustment of volume or special listening program, or these features many function automatically - giving you the option of how much or how little you control your instrument.

Behind-the-Ear (BTE) - BTE hearing instruments fit comfortably and snuggly behind your ear. BTEs are attached to a custom earpiece molded to the shape of your outer ear. They are the most versatile hearing instruments, with models that can aid people with all types of hearing loss - from mild to severely profound. BTEs can be connected to other sound sources such as televisions and infrared listening systems. Infrared listening systems can be helpful in public gatherings and for children in school. Volume control and other listening adjustments can be made manually or determined automatically by your BTEs, offering you the most control over your own hearing instruments.