I’ve had otiocon’s variotherm material for hearing aid molds for past few years. Got a new audiologist and trying new hearing aids to trial the Phonak Infinio Sphere.
As part of that we are getting new molds made. She recommended to go with silicone instead of variotherm.
I’m wondering if that is a good choice or not.what are pros and cons of the materials?
Variotherm is a material that I think only Demant brands had access to, while Phonak has traditionally only offered silicone or acrylic for their RIC earmolds, with titanium being offered more recently. Since Oticon started making their proprietary Ototherm alternative they have pulled Variotherm from their paper order forms (although you can still order VT for pre-Intent devices, at least online).
At this time, the only RIC molds for the Sphere, at least manufactured by Phonak, are acrylic, silicone, and titanium. Your experience with Variotherm is tricky because it is such a unique material, sort of a blend between acrylic and silicone. I find acrylic to be more easily modifiable than silicone and easier to insert, but some patients will say silicone is more comfortable and provides a better seal. Naturally, acrylic being more rigid makes it easier to crack and break, certainly more than silicone, so that should be considered. I have not personally worked with Phonak’s titanium shells, but Phonak says the material allows for the earmold to be smaller/thinner due to the durability of the material.