{"id":1813,"date":"2022-03-10T23:46:03","date_gmt":"2022-03-11T05:46:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redriverent.com\/?p=1813"},"modified":"2022-04-13T15:35:28","modified_gmt":"2022-04-13T20:35:28","slug":"audiologists-help-you-avoid-the-dangers-of-home-ear-impression-kits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redriverent.com\/audiologists-help-you-avoid-the-dangers-of-home-ear-impression-kits\/","title":{"rendered":"Audiologists Help You Avoid the Dangers of Home Ear Impression Kits"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>When it comes to your hearing, don\u2019t skimp on safety. Though home ear impression kits may seem like a way to save on a trip to your audiologist, they often create an inferior product and can even cause injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is an Ear Impression? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1010\" src=\"https:\/\/redriverent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/iStock-1303038694-1280x1010.jpg\" alt=\"Woman having her ears examined by an audiologist.\" class=\"wp-image-1815\" srcset=\"https:\/\/redriverent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/iStock-1303038694-1280x1010.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/redriverent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/iStock-1303038694-768x606.jpg 768w, https:\/\/redriverent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/iStock-1303038694-1536x1212.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/redriverent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/iStock-1303038694-scaled.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>An ear impression is a physical replica of the ear. They are made by injecting a silicone-based impression material into the ear canal and external ear cavities. They are used to help create <a href=\"https:\/\/redriverent.com\/hearing-aids\/hearing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hearing aids<\/a> and hearing protection devices (HDP).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In order to get the best fit for your device, you need an accurate, customized impression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Inferior Protection from Home Kits<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/redriverent.com\/hearing-loss\/protecting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hearing protection devices<\/a> are used to protect your ears from noise damage. They are commonly used when:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Working construction<\/li><li>Hunting or visiting a shooting range<\/li><li>Attending a loud concert somewhere like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.midcityballroom.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mid City Ballroom<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>A 2013 study wanted to compare the difference in quality between hearing protection devices made with a home kit versus a professional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Researchers took two sets of impressions from each participant. One by an amateur participant using a replica of a do-it-yourself home impression kit. The other was taken by a licensed audiologist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They found that the HDPs made by an audiologist were significantly <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalcommons.latech.edu\/cgi\/viewcontent.cgi?article=1296&amp;context=dissertations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">more effective at blocking out sound<\/a> than the ones by an amateur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Incorrect Ear Impressions May Cause Injury<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to providing inferior quality, home ear impression kits may also increase your risk of injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A 2012 study sent out surveys to otolaryngology departments asking about their experiences treating secondary <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/26548100\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">injuries caused during at-home impression taking for hearing aids<\/a>. They found that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>301 institutions treated a total of 460 impression-related injuries<\/li><li>64.8% (298 cases) of injuries were caused by foreign bodies in the ear that resulted from the removal of the impression material.<\/li><li>32 of those 298 cases required surgical intervention under general anesthesia to treat.<\/li><li>An additional 31.7% developed bleeding and fluid in the ear following removal of the ear impression.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Trust Your Audiologist With Your Hearing Needs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Audiologists are expertly trained to provide you with a quality listening experience and reliable ear protection. Not only do they provide a safer option for ear impressions, but they can also answer questions and address any concerns you may have about your hearing needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have additional questions or wish to schedule an appointment, call <span class=\"company-name \">Red River ENT Associates<\/span> today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><ul class=\"related-posts\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/redriverent.com\/your-hearing-aid-maintenance-checklist\/\" class=\"related-post\">Your Hearing Aid Maintenance Checklist<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/redriverent.com\/tips-for-traveling-with-hearing-aids\/\" class=\"related-post\">Tips for Traveling with Hearing Aids<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/redriverent.com\/what-should-you-do-if-your-child-gets-something-stuck-in-their-ear\/\" class=\"related-post\">What Should You Do If Your Child Gets Something Stuck In Their Ear<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When it comes to your hearing, don\u2019t skimp on safety. Though home ear impression kits may seem like a way to save on a trip to your audiologist, they often create an inferior product and can even cause injury. What is an Ear Impression? An ear impression is a physical replica of the ear. They&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1815,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"In order to get the best fit for your hearing device, you need an accurate, customized ear impression from an audiologist.","_seopress_robots_index":"","schema":"","fname":"","lname":"","position":"","credentials":"","placeID":"","no_match":false,"name":"","company":"","review":"","address":"","city":"","state":"","zip":"","lat":"","lng":"","phone1":"","phone2":"","fax":"","mon1":"","mon2":"","tue1":"","tue2":"","wed1":"","wed2":"","thu1":"","thu2":"","fri1":"","fri2":"","sat1":"","sat2":"","sun1":"","sun2":"","hours-note":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1813","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hearing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/redriverent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1813","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/redriverent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/redriverent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redriverent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redriverent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1813"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/redriverent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1813\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redriverent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/redriverent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redriverent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redriverent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}