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Custom Swim Molds in Marietta, GA
If you swim regularly, have had ear infections, or have a perforation or tubes, custom swim molds are one of the few pieces of hearing protection that pay for themselves in avoided doctor visits.
IN SHORT
Custom swim molds are watertight, floatable earplugs molded from an impression of your own ear. They keep water out of the ear canal, which matters most for people prone to swimmer’s ear, and for anyone with a perforated eardrum or surgical tubes where water entering the middle ear is a genuine risk. Taken in our Marietta office and ready in one to two weeks.
Why the ordinary answer does not work
Water sitting in the ear canal softens the skin and shifts the pH, which is what lets bacteria take hold. That is swimmer’s ear, and once someone has had it twice they usually get it again. Keeping the canal dry breaks the cycle far more reliably than drops after the fact.
For a perforated eardrum or grommets, the stakes are different and higher. Water reaching the middle ear can cause a genuine infection rather than an irritation, and most ENT surgeons will tell you to keep that ear dry. A custom mold is the practical way to do that and still get in the water.
Who needs them most
In rough order of how strongly we would recommend them.
| Situation | Why it matters | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Perforated eardrum or grommets | Water reaching the middle ear can cause real infection | Strongly recommended, and ask your ENT too |
| Repeated swimmer’s ear | Each episode makes the next more likely | Strongly recommended |
| Regular lake or pool swimming | Cumulative moisture exposure, and lake water carries more | Recommended |
| Children who swim often | Narrower canals hold water more readily | Recommended, and they grow out of the fit |
| Occasional holiday swimming | Low exposure | Optional, though cheap insurance |
Who we fit these for
- Anyone with a perforated eardrum, grommets or a history of ear surgery
- People who have had swimmer's ear more than once
- Regular swimmers, at a pool or on Lake Acworth and Allatoona
- Children who swim through the summer
- Surfers, kayakers and anyone in open water
A note for lake swimmers
Lake water is not pool water. It carries more bacteria and more particulate, so the ear infection risk is meaningfully higher on Allatoona in August than in a chlorinated pool. If your family spends summers on the water, this is the piece of protection we would fit first.
How the impression works
The same five minute process for every type of custom protection we fit.
- We check the ear canal with a video otoscope first, since we cannot take an impression past wax or infection
- A soft foam dam protects the eardrum, then silicone is syringed in and sets in about five minutes
- It lifts out in one piece. Odd rather than painful, and nothing to recover from
- The laboratory makes your protection and it comes back in one to two weeks
- You come in to collect, and we check the fit and seal before you leave
Common questions
Do swim molds float?
Yes, they are made to float, which matters more than it sounds when one comes out in open water.
Will they keep all the water out?
A well-fitted custom mold keeps the canal dry in normal swimming. They are not designed for deep diving, where pressure changes are a separate problem, so talk to us if that is what you do.
Can children wear them?
Yes, and children are among the best candidates. Bear in mind that ears grow, so a child’s molds will need remaking every year or two.
Can I hear anything with them in?
They are made to block, so hearing is reduced. That is the trade. If you need to hear poolside instruction, tell us and we can discuss a vented option.
I have grommets or a perforation. Are these enough on their own?
Ask your ENT, because they know your specific case. In general, custom molds are the standard practical answer, sometimes with a swim cap over the top for extra security.
Five minutes now, permanent hearing later
Appointment or book a time. We will check your ears and take the impression in the same visit.