Ear Plugs for Dentists and Hygienists

Hearing protection for dentists, dental assistants, and dental hygienists is critically important. High-speed dental drills, ultrasonic cleaners, and high speed turbine hand pieces are just a few potential hearing hazards. This essential dental lab machinery can cause serious hearing damage and even tinnitus. Even when very loud noise only occurs intermittently, a small dose of hazardous noise still causes a small amount of hearing damage -- and that damage is cumulative and irreversible. Far too often, dental professionals do not notice how this gradual noise-induced hearing loss is affecting them until it is too late. Fortunately, ear plugs present many excellent solutions for dentist hearing protection.

When it comes to hearing protection, dentists and hygienists have unique needs:

• The Right Amount of Noise Blocking: Noise blocking is certainly called for, but don't overdo it. Even an NRR 5 ear plug can help take the edge off hazardous noise and stave off a considerable amount of hearing damage over the years. Additionally, noise blocking specifically in the high frequency range is most critical for dentists.
• Natural Sound Hearing: The best ear plugs for dentists must provide the ability for the dentist to clearly hear and converse with the patient. Natural sound hearing ear plugs provide that capability: the ear plugs do not need to be removed to hold a normal conversation. Most natural sound ear plugs are geared toward musicians, but they also tend to offer the right amount of noise attenuation and natural sound hearing to make them an ideal choice for dentist ear plugs.
• Discreet Appearance: Obviously wearing ear plugs around the office may be an unappealing prospect for many dental professionals. The dentist ear plugs listed here have all been chosen because they offer the right amount of noise blocking, because they allow natural hearing and conversation, and because they feature a low-profile fit.

The products listed below all offer these important features for dental professionals seeking hearing protection. We also offer an electronic ear plug, the HD-15, which offers the capability to switch freely between a hearing protection mode and a sound amplification mode: an excellent option for dental professionals who already suffer from some degree of hearing loss.