False Teeth can be used for more than just chewing?
According to Science News, false teeth could double as hearing aids. That sounds innovative and exciting. The article claims, a dental implant strategically located can transmit sound and can be used as part of a hearing device. Via vibrations through the jaw bone, this device/implant can aid many people who experience hearing loss. According to the article, previously, technological breakthroughs used a clip on a molar to transmit sound to a wireless microphone worn behind the ear. Dental researchers refined the process even further, turning the tooth/implant itself into the actual hearing device. The tiny hearing aid would be placed directly into the tooth, doing away with the need for the microphone behind the ear. This sounds like the greatest thing since sliced bread. Before this could come to fruition, the scientific application would have to be applied. The scientists must first compare the different types of sounds from natural teeth, as opposed to implants. They needed to determine where on the jaw would be most effective and efficient. They needed volunteers to compile and analyze data. According to the article, this looks like a winning proposition, offering a discrete, comfortable way for the hearing impaired to improve their quality of sound and quite frankly, quality of life.
This article was very impressive, it made the possibility and procedure of using an implant as a hearing aid sound like it would and could happen in the very near future. The citation, The sensitivity of bone conduction for dental implants was not nearly as optimistic. The bone conduction threshold was not reported, which seems significant. Leading to the assumption that much more research and experimentation will be needed. This citation seems to suggest that the process mentioned in the article is more in a preliminary state. The study in the citation seemed to focus on pure tone auditory thresholds of normal subjects (not people with hearing loss). It did not mention many factors, which would have made this citation more comprehensive. It does seem like a step in the right direction, but definitely not as optimistic as the original article.
This entry was posted on Friday, September 30th, 2022 at 11:23 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
