Cochlear Implants in Utah and Wyoming

For many people, hearing aids are a great way to improve their hearing. But hearing aids don’t work for everyone. Some types of hearing loss are too severe, and some people find hearing aids uncomfortable, hard to maintain, or notice the “plugged-up” feeling they can create in the ear.

If hearing aids aren’t giving you the clarity you need, implantable hearing devices—including cochlear implants—may be a better option.

What Are Implantable Hearing Devices?

Implantable hearing devices are small medical devices that are surgically placed in or around the ear. Instead of simply making sounds louder, they help send sound directly to the parts of the ear or brain that process hearing.

There are a few main types:

• Cochlear implants

• Bone-anchored hearing devices

• Auditory brainstem implants

Each option helps people who cannot benefit enough from regular hearing aids.

Cochlear Implants

A cochlear implant is the most well-known type of implantable hearing device. It is recommended for people with severe to profound hearing loss who no longer benefit from traditional hearing aids.

A cochlear implant has two main parts:

• External piece: microphone, sound processor, and transmitter

• Internal piece: receiver and a set of tiny electrodes placed in the inner ear

How Does a Cochlear Implant Work?

1. The microphone picks up sounds around you.

2. The sound processor changes those sounds into electronic signals.

3. The transmitter sends these signals through the skin to the internal receiver.

4. The electrodes stimulate the auditory nerve.

5. The nerve sends signals to the brain, where they are understood as sound.

This system helps many people who are profoundly deaf understand speech and connect with the world again, even when hearing aids no longer help.

Bone-Anchored Hearing Devices

Bone-anchored hearing devices use a small titanium implant behind the ear, a sound processor, and an attachment that connects the two.

Instead of sending sound through the ear canal, this device sends vibrations through the skull directly to the inner ear.

Who Benefits Most?

• People with conductive hearing loss

• People with single-sided deafness

• People who cannot wear regular hearing aids due to chronic ear infections or other issues

Auditory Brainstem Implants (ABI)

An auditory brainstem implant works much like a cochlear implant but sends sound signals straight to the brainsteminstead of the auditory nerve.

This option is rare and usually recommended only when the auditory nerve is damaged, such as in individuals with:

• Neurofibromatosis type II (NF2)

• Severe trauma or nerve disorders

People with these conditions do not benefit from cochlear implants, so an ABI may provide another path to improved sound awareness.