Hearing through your teeth?

There seems to be some hearing aid fatigue in the marketplace with many companies admitting one is just as good as another when it comes to technology.

So this could be interesting news for some individuals who suffer from single side deafness or conductive hearing loss.

The American Academy of Audiology has approved a policy statement on implantable hearing devices that includes bone conduction appliances such as non-surgical and removable hearing devices that transmit sound through the teeth. Sonitus Medical out of California hopes to capitalize on this change as the only manufacturer of these devices.

Here's how they describe their product.

An innovation in hearing loss technology, SoundBite transmits sound using the well-established principle of bone conduction. Unlike predecessor prosthetic devices that reroute sound through skull bones, SoundBite places a custom fabricated transducer on the tooth, thereby eliminating the need to surgically implant a post in the skull. In this way, SoundBite eliminates the surgical costs and potential complications of the implant by using the tooth as a "naturally osseointegrated" post.

The SoundBite system comprises two parts. The first component is a removable in-the-mouth (ITM) appliance, which is custom made for each patient to fit on either the upper left or right back teeth. The ITM transducer produces vibrations that allow sound to reach the cochleae via bone conduction. The second component is a small digital signal processor unit worn behind the ear (BTE) which picks up the sound and wirelessly transmits the signal to the ITM. The ITM does not require modification to the teeth, and an oral exam is conducted by a medical professional prior to use of SoundBite. SoundBite is removable, with normal daily functions such as talking and eating attainable with the device in place. More information is available at www.sonitusmedical.com

While this technology is not yet available in Canada, enterprising Canadians need only find an ENT in the U.S. who is qualified to offer this service. We see it as an opportunity for Canadian providers to get with the program.