What Styles of BTE Hearing Aids Can You Select?

If you’ve been diagnosed with severe hearing loss or have a child with early hearing loss, your hearing healthcare professional may recommend the more noticeable Behind the Ear (BTE) style of hearing aid for its powerful amplification ability, durability, ease of handling or perhaps its capacity to be easily re-fitted as your child grows. The good news is that there are still many styles and features that can help you not only hear better with BTE hearing aids, but enjoy wearing them.

BTE hearing aids are the traditional devices you’re likely to picture when you think of hearing aids. All BTEs have a portion that sits behind the outer ear, connecting to the ear canal with tubing and a tip or a custom-fit earmold. Because BTEs are large, they can house more powerful electronics to provide stronger amplification and more specialized features, as well as larger batteries for longer run times. Their compatibility with earmold pieces means they can also be easily refitted as needed without having to replace the entire hearing aid.

Within the BTE family, there are three main styles. From smallest to largest, they include the mini BTE, receiver in the ear (RITE) or receiver in the canal (RIC), and BTE with earmold.

The following is a list of each style’s characteristics:

• Mini BTEs are the most discreet of the BTE styles, hiding almost completely behind the ear and connecting to the ear canal with very thin tubing that ends in a soft tip. Because the tip doesn’t completely cover the ear canal, but allows air to flow freely around it, it creates a more natural listening experience. This style is recommended if you have mild-to-moderate, high-frequency hearing loss.
• RITE and RIC hearing aids have speakers that are built into the ear tip instead of the main body of the hearing aid. This enables more advanced technology features than previous types of BTEs, while the open fit provides better comfort. Since the speaker is closer to the eardrum, the listener also uses less volume and benefits from greater clarity to sounds and voices.
• BTE with earmold hearing aids are the largest type of BTE style, but they also offer the greater durability to damage, more manual controls and can support a greater number of features and programs for more complex hearing needs.

While a hearing healthcare professional will recommend the devices they believe are the best fit for your hearing needs, preferences and lifestyle, ultimately the decision is in your hands. For more detailed information about these and other hearing aid options that might be available to you. Contact your hearing care provider today to discuss the best options for your hearing loss.