making a good ear impression
We're thrilled to have you join The Ear Project!
This page is designed to guide you in achieving excellent ear impressions right from the start.
Materials
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• 2 impression singles
• 2 Fit Discs
• 1 sanitizing wipe
• prelabeled return mailer
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• 1 Black Tube
• 2 syringes
• 2 impression singles
• 2 Fit Discs
• otoblocks
• sanitizing wipes and tissues
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• otoscope and speculum tips
• lighted curette for cerumen management
Preparation
1. Introduction to the customer
Many customers have never had an ear impression before. Explain the procedure and reassure the customer that the procedure is simple but could be a little uncomfortable for some people. Customers are supposed to bring their own Black Tubes to the appointment, but you need to be prepared with your backup Black Tube in case they forget.
2. Otoscopy
Observe the customer’s ear canal diameter and path direction. If shallow earwax is present, clear it with a cerumen management tool, if necessary. Please make your best professional judgment regarding how to handle the earwax. Please note, our goal is to have one appointment for a successful ear impression without need for follow-up or rescheduling.
3. Dry Fit
Perform a Dry Fit check by placing the Fit Disc into the customer’s ear. This step will aid in informing you of the best position to place the Fit Disc during the time-sensitive impression stage.
4. Otoblock Placement
Place the otoblock just beyond the second bend with the otolight. Confirm with an otoscope (without pulling on ear) that there are no gaps. Comfort is key! With the otolight keep contact with the otoblock & gently push it along the canal. Constant tapping with the otolight may cause discomfort.
Injecting Impression Material
Inject impression material slowly and smoothly to fill the ear canal. Fill all landmarks below to approximate the size of the custom ear product (about 25% less impression material is needed compared to a standard ear impression).
Jaw: Talking or moving jaw is preferred. A forward jaw moves the TMJ away.
Impression material should fill in:
Full concha bowl
Cymba Concha
Intertragal Notch
The fit disc
The Fit Discs have been designed with the sole purpose of ensuring that IYO devices look great on our customer’s ears. Think of the Fit Disc as a dummy model of the final product.
Tip!- Imagine the Fit Disc is an earmold that you are placing in the customer’s ear. Insert the canal portion first then pivot the concha portion in place.
Slowly insert the right (red) & left (blue) fit disc with the arrow pointing frontward. Insert snout as close to the tragus as possible with the disc pressed firmly and flat against the plane of the pinna. Minimize all gaps and make it look good. Work quickly to achieve a good aesthetic fit of the Fit Disc before the impression cures.
Aesthetic Fit Disc Training Video pt 1 (2 + minutes)
Aesthetic Fit Disc Training Video pt 2 (40 seconds)
Aesthetic Fit Procedure
Visual Inspection
Have the client visually inspect the final Fit Disc placement with a mirror, and adjust accordingly.
Video
Record a short video recording 360 degrees around the customer’s head with the fit discs in place. The purpose of the customer video is for modeling the end product. All pinnas are very different and getting a video of the customer with both Fit Discs allows the Modeling Staff to achieve the best aesthetic fit for the customers ears/face.
Final inspection
After removing the impressions, conduct otoscopy, then inspect the impressions for any issues.
Good ear impressions to meet our criteria should include full representation of the following landmarks:
canal portion beyond the second bend
concha bowl
cymba concha
intertragal notch
with the fit disc in place the impression should splatter against the disc to also represent the antihelix
minimal gaps between the fit disc and pinna
The impression material will splatter against the fit disc by design but excess material splatter beyond the Fit Disc should be kept to a minimum (as this creates gaps).
The final product can only be accurately customized for the customer if the initial ear impression meets the specified criteria. Please avoid assuming that missing landmarks can be corrected through modeling. If the impression does not meet the necessary requirements for modeling the end product, compensation will be reduced to $100, and the customer will be rescheduled for a new impression.
At Ear Project we believe a healthy feedback loop is essential as we work to build a team of experts in our ear impression procedure. We understand that not all impressions will be perfect from the start, but our goal is to see improvement and growth over time. Engagement and dialogue have significantly helped our Ear Project Audiologists improve this skillset as they gain more experience with our customers.
After you get full ear impressions, place them with the fit discs attached in the tube and ship them with the prepaid labeled bags.
Prepaid labeled bags are included in the customer’s black tube.