Bone-Anchored Hearing Aids (BAHA)

A bone-anchored hearing aid (often called BAHA or bone conduction hearing aid) sends sound through bone instead of the ear canal, making it much more efficient than a traditional hearing aid in some types of hearing loss. Today, a new generation of bone-anchored hearing aids has emerged that are fully implantable, without skin wound issues, and placed through a minimally invasive outpatient procedure.

BAHAs can be a good option for a variety of hearing loss conditions. Since they do not sit in the ear canal and conduct sound directly to the inner ear, they can be much more efficient than conventional hearing aids in providing high fidelity sound while avoiding certain medical issues that may affect the ability to wear conventional hearing aids. Many different BAHAs devices also exist today. For more detailed information on whether BAHAs may be the right solution for someone’s hearing needs, please consult with our expert audiology and otology team.

A bone-anchored hearing aid, or bone conduction hearing aid, uses a small implant and an external sound processor to send sound through the skull bone to the inner ear, bypassing the ear canal and middle ear.

Traditional aid makes sound louder through the ear canal. BAHA sends vibration around canal or middle-ear problems. It often helps when earmolds cause infections or sound remains muffled with regular aids. Each can have different benefits for hearing depending on the specific condition causing hearing loss. To learn which is best for someone’s hearing needs, connect with our audiology and otology team.

BAHA needs a working inner ear (cochlea). Cochlear implants help when the inner ear doesn’t work well. Our clinicians can discuss which one is the best fit after a hearing evaluation.

BAHAs are placed through a brief, outpatient procedure. Most people resume light activity quickly. The processor is fit and turned on in a few weeks.