Protecting your ears from loud noise is important for your long-term hearing health. Since exposure to loud decibels over time can damage your hearing, custom ear plugs are beneficial for those who work or live in a noisy environment or enjoy activities that involve loud noise or music. Everyone’s ears are unique with no two ear canals that are exactly the same shape or size.
What is Custom Hearing Protection?
While there are plenty of earplugs on the market that you can buy to diminish noise, custom hearing protection is a term for earplugs that are custom-fitted to an individual’s ear canal by a hearing professional, providing an added measure of hearing protection. Often made from soft silicone or acrylic, custom earplugs use special filters and molds which allow the level of noise reduction to be very precise by sealing the ear while safeguarding the delicate parts of the ear from damage that can be incurred by loud sounds.
What are the Advantages of Custom Earplugs?
While the cost of custom earplugs may be a little more initially, the benefits outweigh the cost of disposable, standard earplugs.
- Comfortable fit, especially for small or irregular ear canals
- Less likely to fall out of your ear
- More durable than standard foam earplugs
- Last longer
- Provide full hearing protection
- Do not need to be removed when talking or chewing
Who Needs Custom Hearing Protection?
Custom earplugs are essential for those who work or live in noisy areas such as construction workers and musicians. Concert-goers should consider custom earplugs to protect their hearing from the damage from loud music. In addition to noise reduction benefits, swimmers often prefer custom earplugs to provide the best protection from water entering into the ears and potentially causing bacterial infection. Custom earplugs can also provide important benefits to light sleepers who have a loud snoring partner or live near a noisy street or noisy neighbors.
Talk to a Sound Health audiologist who can explain what is best for your specific situation.