Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
by Dr Jonathan Barron, Blue Apple Dental Clinic, Currambine, WA
These earplugs are advertised for use at music festivals but work perfectly well in a dental surgery. There are two types—Hears One reduces noise by 20dB and Hears Plus reduces noise by 25dB.
What’s good about it
I’m in the 55-plus age group and recently noticed I was having trouble hearing in crowded rooms and restaurants. I think I’m losing my higher frequency hearing. I suspect the hearing loss is caused by years of drills, suction and other noises in my surgery. If it’s affecting me, it’s also affecting my nurses so I’ve offered to buy Hears earplugs for all my staff.
The earplugs consist of a number of different membranes that reduce loud noises. You can still converse freely with the patient but it does impede conversation to a small degree. Communication between myself and my assistant or nurse is absolutely fine. I chose the 20dB earplugs so that makes things easier.
They are comfortable to wear, and I often forget I have them in my ears. There are three different buds that connect to the earplugs so they can fit virtually every ear. They also come in a range of colours so everyone can keep track of their own earplugs and not accidentally wear someone else’s. They look like AirPods which is less off-putting to patients than foam earplugs. People tend to think you can’t hear anything when you’re wearing those.
Some of my colleagues have purchased custom-made earplugs that cost about 10 times more than Hears. There is little difference between how the two types work.
What’s not so good
The earplugs do impede conversation between me and the patient to a small degree. This is unfortunate as I like to be finely attuned with my patients so I’m aware when they are feeling uncomfortable or if they are having any issues.
