Sonitus Medical (San Mateo, CA), having received FDA clearance in January for its SoundBite hearing aid, is now following up with European approval. The dental insert works similar to a bone anchored hearing aid, receiving an audio signal from a transmitter in the ear and in turn resonating the cochlea, but via the teeth.
To take advantage of the natural acoustic benefits provided by the patient’s own ear, sound in the environment is picked up by a tiny microphone placed within an open fit dome worn in the canal of the impaired ear and connected to the BTE by a small translucent tube. The BTE uses a digital signal processor to process the sound, a second microphone for noise cancellation, and a wireless chip to transmit the signals to the ITM hearing device, which in turn sends imperceptible vibrations via the teeth near-simultaneously to both cochleae. SoundBite hearing system is intended to deliver sound across a broad frequency range of 250 to more than 12,000 Hz.
SoundBite Oral DeviceThe ITM device is custom made to fit around either the upper left or right back teeth, does not require any alteration of the teeth, and is easily inserted and removed by the wearer. It contains electronics, a sealed, flat, rechargeable battery, wireless capability that picks up sound transmissions from the BTE, and a small actuator that converts those signals into vibratory energy. All of these miniaturized components are hermetically sealed inside a dental grade acrylic that has been safely used for making dentures for many years.
Press release: Sonitus Medical Receives European CE Mark for SoundBite™ Hearing System…
Product page: SoundBite Hearing System…
Flashbacks: SoundBite Cochlear-Dental Hearing Aid Gets FDA Clearance; Dental Hearing Aid Technology from Sonitus Medical; SoundBite, a Cochlear Hearing Aid Without The Implant
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