How Normal Hearing Works:

1. Outer Ear
The visible outer portion and ear canal funnels sound inward.

2. Middle Ear
The eardrum and three tiny bones vibrate from sound waves.

3. Inner Ear
The fluid-filled cochlea contains thousands of tiny sound receptors called hair cells. The hair cells sway with sound waves in the fluid filled space that sends a signal to the brain that is interpreted as sound.

How the Esteem®-Hearing Implant™ Works

• the natural ear collects sound from the environment
• the sound waves create normal vibration of the eardrum
• the natural vibrations are sensed and processed by the Esteem®-Hearing Implant™
• a customized dose of energy is applied to the cochlea
• the cochlea converts the energy and vibration into signals and the brain interprets the signals into sound

Placement of the Esteem®-Hearing Implant™

The device is surgically placed behind the ear. Typically, you would go home early the next day after surgery. Patients report that the procedure is virtually painless.