Prosthetic teeth may be a great option for hearing aids.
Vibrations used to replace lost teeth Travel well from the jawbones to your inner earResearchers report on September Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. This finding could lead to discreet options Cochlear and conventional hearing aidsPeople with hearing impairments use ().SN: 7/7/16).
The original tooth-based hearing aids were made by attaching molars to the ears and receiving wireless sound from a microphone behind the ear. Jianxiang Tao, a dental researcher, and his colleagues are looking to make tooth implants hearing aids. Tao from Tongji University in Shanghai says that the electronics that produce sound vibrations would be integrated into the false tooth portion anchored into the jawbone.
The team first had to compare the sound transmission of dental implants with natural teeth and the mastoid bones behind the ears, which are the foundations of other hearing aids. Researchers applied sound tones to 38 patients with hearing loss, one dental implant, and natural teeth. The team reports that implants can be used to hear sounds at different frequencies.
Implants in the front of the mouth worked slightly better than those at the back. According to the team, this could be because the jawbone in the front of your mouth is stronger than the one at the back. For transmitting sound, lower teeth and implants performed as well as uppers.
Compared with traditional hearing aids, dental implant hearing aids could offer “excellent concealment, good comfort and improved quality of sound,” the researchers write.
