A Guide to BTE Hearing Aids

Those who experience hearing loss have a number of potential solutions available to them. If you have a conversation with your hearing care provider, they should be able to help you make the right decision as to which solution is best for you. When it comes to hearing aids in particular, there are numerous kinds and styles that you might need to look into.

One of the most common kinds of hearing aids is behind-the-ear (BTE). Take a look through this guide to learn more about BTE hearing aids, and in what ways they're useful to address hearing loss.

What is a BTE hearing aid?

First of all, let’s look at the basics of a BTE hearing aid. Your hearing care professional may have already gone through this with you, but it can help to have a refresher. In simple terms, a BTE hearing aid is one that you wear on the outside of the ear. A small tube will carry the sound into the ear canal so you can hear better. There will usually be a plastic mold inside the ear.

BTE hearing aids also tend to have a plastic case. This is where the main electronics are held. While modern BTE hearing aids are smaller than their original 50’s counterparts, they are still one of the larger types of hearing aid available today. However, they are versatile, with many people who have hearing loss being able to use them effectively.

Different types of BTE hearing aid

There are actually a few different types of BTE hearing aid; it is worth discussing with your hearing care professional which might be best for you. The main types are:
 

• Receiver-in-the-ear. With this type of BTE hearing aid, you will experience particularly high sound quality, with the speaker being built right into the earmold. This modern style is now quite common.
• Mini BTE. This BTE hearing aid consists of a smaller container that sits behind the ear, which is connected to the ear via a thin tube. These tend to provide a more natural, perhaps more comfortable feel.
• BTE with earmold. A larger type of BTE, this tends to also have larger batteries and therefore is capable of having more features than many other kinds of hearing aid. These are especially common with children who have hearing loss.

Advantages

The BTE hearing aid has many distinct advantages to it, compared with a number of other types such as ITE and ITC. Some of the main benefits of the BTE style are:

• Comfortable to wear
• Versatile for all
• Minimal feedback
• Easy to clean

Because of these advantages, the BTE kind of hearing aid is still one of the most common that you will come across as you look for a hearing aid.

If you think you might need a hearing aid, or you want to find out more about the BTE hearing aid style, book in to speak to your hearing care provider as soon as possible. They will be happy to discuss it with you.