Bone Conduction
Hearing Aids
in Victoria BC
​Bone conduction hearing aids (sometimes called bone anchored hearing aids) are a type of hearing aid that uses bone conduction to transmit sound to the inner ear, bypassing the outer and middle ear.
How Bone Conduction
Hearing Aids Work
Bone conduction hearing aids are used for managing conductive hearing loss, mixed hearing loss, and single-sided hearing deafness.
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Unlike traditional hearing aids (which send sound through the air into the ear canal), bone conduction devices send sound vibrations directly through the bone of your skull to the inner ear (cochlea).
This allows sound to bypass the outer and middle ear structures, which are typically dysfunctional and/or damaged in cases of conductive or mixed hearing loss.​​
Child using a bone conduction hearing aid
Woman smiling with a bone conduction hearing aid
Man in a online meeting with a bone conduction hearing aid
Child using a bone conduction hearing aid
Components of a Bone
Conduction Hearing Aid
External Sound Processor
Worn behind the ear on the side of the head. It captures sound, processes sound, and reproduces sound. All styles of bone conduction hearing aids have an external sound processor.
Implanted Abutment
Traditional bone conduction hearing aids are bone-anchored. A titanium screw is surgically implanted into the skull to act as an attachment point for the sound processor to then transmit sound via vibrations of the skull
Implanted Transducer
Some bone-conduction hearing aid manufacturers are making an implantable transducer, which the external sound processor magnetically attaches to, improving cosmetics compared to the traditional implanted abutment.
Adhesive Abutment
MedEl makes a special adhesive abutment so that no surgery, and no headband is required to wear their bone conduction hearing aid, called AdHear. This style of bone conduction hearing aid is unique to MedEl.
Headband
People who prefer not to have surgery, who are too young for surgery, or who wish to trial a bone-conduction hearing aid can wear the external sound processor on a headband. This option requires no surgery to wear the device.
Candidacy for Bone Conduction
Conductive Hearing Loss
Those with hearing loss caused by problems in the outer or middle ear.
Mixed Hearing Loss
Those who have both sensorineural (inner ear) and conductive hearing loss.
Single-Sided Deafness
Individuals who are deaf in one ear but have normal hearing in the other ear.
Possible causes of conductive or mixed hearing loss include:
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Atresia of the ear
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Cholesteotoma
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Chronic otitis media
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Congenital abnormalities
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External otitis
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Microtia of the ear
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Ossicular disease
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Otosclerosis
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Traumatic middle ear injury
Referrals
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A referral from a doctor is not necessary to explore if bone conduction is right for you.
If you are interested in exploring if a bone conduction hearing device is right for you, please schedule an appointment with us. We are happy to assess your hearing and review your candidacy.
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The surgical component of a bone conduction hearing is done by an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor. If a bone conduction is right for you, you will require a referral from a physician such as your family doctor to the Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist.