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Procedures to Stop Snoring

Snoring occurs when a person is sleeping and something is obstructing his breathing. Air flow moving through the soft tissues in the throat cause it to vibrate and create the sound associated with snoring. Snoring can result from nasal problems, excess weight or sleep apnea, a serious condition involving throat tissues obstructing a person's airway. Procedures that stop snoring range from the use of dental appliances to surgery.

  1. Oral Appliances

    • A dentist can create a custom-fitted mouthpiece to reduce or eliminate snoring. The dental appliance works by moving the tongue and palate--the area at the top of the mouth that separates the oral and nasal cavities--forward while an individual is sleeping. To ensure the fit of the mouthpiece, which determines how effective it is, a person who uses this treatment for snoring should see the dentist once per year, after the first year. During the first year of use, the user should see the dentist every six months.

    Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)

    • The use of a CPAP machine to treat snoring works by forcing air to flow continuously through the nostrils, keeping the airway open. The patient wears a mask over her nose and mouth, connected to the CPAP machine, while she is sleeping to counter the effects of obstructive sleep apnea.

    Palatal Implants

    • The use of palatal implants, in a treatment called the Pillar procedure, reduces snoring with the implantation of polyester filaments. The filaments are permanently placed in the soft palate, causing it to stiffen and reduce the vibrations that produce snoring. The procedure can be done in a doctor's office using local anesthetic.

    Surgery

    • Surgical treatments for snoring include traditional surgery, somnoplasty and laser surgery. The traditional surgery for snoring is uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, a procedure in which a surgeon tightens and trims any excess tissue in the throat that enhances the vibrations that produce snoring. During a somnoplasty, the surgeon reduces snoring by removing a section of the soft palate. The laser surgery for snoring is called laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty. The surgeon removes the uvula, the soft tissue that hangs in the back of the mouth, and reduces the soft palate. The result of this procedure is an enlarged airway that produces less of the vibrations that causes snoring.

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