When it comes to ear health, few people think about their teeth. However, recent studies have found a link between teeth and hearing restoration. Dentists are now using what is called a SoundBite System to restore hearing loss in individuals with deafness in one ear, according to the Wall Street Journal. People who couldn’t hear for decades can now have their hearing restored through this system. Through this procedure, hearing is restored to a patient’s one ear through a process called “bone conduction,” which allows sound waves to travel through teeth. These sound waves go through skull bones and enable a patient to hear, the Wall Street Journal said.
Having hearing restored through this procedure is a joyous and life-changing experience for those who have lived with deafness for decades. The creators of Invisalign have brought the SoundBite system to the market. To facilitate hearing in one ear, the SoundBite system places a small microphone in a patient’s ear. The device itself sits over two back molar teeth. The microphone collects the sound that should be heard through a person’s deaf ear and carries that sound back to a device that covers the two back molars.
At this point, sound is transmitted from the device to the brain and finally to the cochlea, an organ from one’s ear. At this point, sound waves are transmitted to the brain, making it possible for patients to have hearing restored. The procedure itself costs $6,800. Though the SoundBite system is expensive, it is a worthwhile investment for many people.
The ear piece and mouthpiece are both powered by rechargeable batteries, so they must be recharged regularly. This groundbreaking innovation is making waves throughout the dental and audiology industries for its ability to restore hearing through dental procedures—a reality that at one point was only a distant dream. However, even this procedure comes with some drawbacks. Some people cannot benefit from the SoundBite system, because their back teeth sit at a difficult angle.
Also known as a cochlear implant, the SoundBite system is complex in the sense that several devices interact with the brain to produce sound in a deaf ear. SoundBite is not a hearing aid. The system itself uses a stimulator, receiver and a transmitter, which stimulate speech processing and sends sound to different parts of the auditory nerve, according to The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.
Kind regards,
Dr. Allan Melnick
