Molded Ear Plugs

Often referred to as custom ear plugs (or earplugs!) because that’s exactly what they are. Just as you go to an optician to have your eyes “measured” for the exact lenses you need, so too you go to an audiologist to have your ear measured – not to have your hearing tested, although you might decide to while you are there – but literally to have the dimensions of your ear measured so that a custom molded ear plug can be specifically made for the shape, dimensions and volume of your own ear.

Incidentally before they do that the audiologist will inspect your ear to make sure there are no issues like too much wax, infections or anything else which could damage your ear.

The procedure is straightforward, and in a nutshell involves a viscous liquid substance being injected gently into your ear. After it has set, it doesn’t take long, the audiologist will gently remove it. It is from this impression of your ear that the mold is made from which your molded ear plugs are cast. By the way this does not necessarily have to be by the audiologist. There are organisations on the internet to whom you can send your mold and they will make up your custom ear plugs. I’ll be having a look at these in a later post.

What this procedure brings you is that the molded earplug is the perfect fit – benefiting you not only in terms of comfort, but also of course in terms of its effectiveness in reducing noise.

Naturally having your own molded ear plugs, just like anything else “bespoke” – made just for you, is more expensive than off the shelf, standard earplugs. But like a lot of things in life you get what you pay for. And most custom ear plug users get new ones about every 5 years, so the lifetime value of the molded earplugs begins to make sense economically as well as aurally.

You can save money by buying kits online to do your own mold impression, I’ll be reviewing these in a later article.

For the best ear plugs, molded earplugs are the ones to go for.