These devices use advanced technologies to improve hearing and quality of life. At Colorado West Otolaryngologists, PC, the team of expert physicians offers the latest cochlear and bone-anchored implants. To schedule an appointment at the Grand Junction, Montrose, or Gunnison, Colorado, office, book online, or call today.
Implantable solutions are small, electronic devices that your doctor surgically places beneath your skin. They increase the transmission of sound vibrations, making it easier to hear. Implantable solutions won’t restore your hearing 100%, but they can help you better interpret sounds and improve your ability to understand speech.
The team at Colorado West Otolaryngologists, PC, offers several of the latest types of implantable solutions for hearing loss, including:
Cochlear implants are implantable solutions designed to help people who are deaf or severely hard of hearing. Each implant has a microphone, speech processor, transmitter, and an electrode array. These components work in coordination to improve your sense of hearing.
Cochlear implants bypass the damaged parts of your ear, allowing sound waves to connect with your auditory nerve. The auditory nerve translates these waves and sends them to your brain, which recognizes them as sounds.
The Baha system improves your hearing through a process called bone conduction. The technology features a small titanium fixture and an external sound processor. Your surgeon implants the titanium fixture beneath your skin. Once placed, it transfers sound waves to your cochlea instead of your inner ear.
This type of implantable solution is particularly beneficial for people with mixed hearing loss. Mixed hearing loss means you have problems with your inner, outer, and middle ear.
The team at Colorado West Otolaryngologists, PC, typically recommends implantable solutions for children and adults who are deaf or have profound hearing loss.
These devices are especially helpful for young children who are learning to speak. Research shows that when combined with intensive therapy, cochlear implants can improve a child’s ability to comprehend sound, music, and speech.
If the team at Colorado West Otolaryngologists, PC, determines that you’re a good candidate for an implantable solution, they place it during an outpatient procedure. Prior to the operation, the team administers general anesthesia, putting you to sleep.
Afterward, your surgeon makes an incision behind your ear and opens the mastoid bone. They then access your cochlea–– a fluid-filled structure in our inner year–– and carefully insert the implant. The length of surgery depends on the type of implant you receive, but most procedures take two or three hours.
If you’re interested in learning more about implantable solutions, request a consultation at Colorado West Otolaryngologists, PC. Book an appointment online, or call the nearest office today.