Non-surgical bone conduction

What is bone conduction hearing?

Most people hear in two ways: by air conduction (sound traveling through the air to the ears) and bone conduction (sound passing through the bones in the head). They both work together to help us listen to and perceive sound.

Problems in the outer or middle ear can restrict sound waves from getting to the inner ear through air conduction. Bone conduction can bypass these damaged or blocked parts of the ear and deliver sound vibrations directly to the inner ear, where it can be transformed into sounds your brain can understand.

How non-surgical bone conduction solutions work

Cochlear™ Baha® Start is a non-surgical bone conduction solution that can help adults and children hear until they're ready for an implantable solution. It's designed to deliver sound to support child's development on par with hearing peers.^1,2

It uses a Softband or a SoundArc™ and a Baha sound processor to transmit sound to the inner ear.

Baha Start includes the following main components:

• Sound processor – one or two Baha sound processors that capture sound in the air.
• A Softband or SoundArc – the sound processor is connected to a Softband or a SoundArc to keep it in place and transmit sound vibrations to the inner ear.

Together, these parts bypass the blocked part of the ear, sending vibrations directly through the bone to the inner ear.

Can a bone conduction solution help adults and children?

Bone conduction solutions can help people with single-sided deafness, conductive hearing loss or mixed hearing loss.

With Baha Start, young children are able to gain access to sound using either a Baha Softband or SoundArc with a Baha Sound Processor. These are non-surgical bone conduction solutions that may give children the hearing performance they need to help develop language skills.¹

If someone is considering an implantable bone conduction solution, they'll be able to try hearing through bone conduction with Baha Start. When they decide to move on with a hearing implant, their audiologist will discuss what solution is right for them.