Laser Surgery: the Permanent Treatment for Snoring

Snoring has been a curse for millions of people and their partners. Usually, the snores are caused by extra tissues in the soft palate and uvula resulting in the obstruction of air passage on the throat and mouth.

Snoring is a symptom of sleep apnea. Without evaluation and treatments by a qualified physician, it could lead to more serious conditions. When a person is looking for possible options in treating snores, the selection falls into three groupings: Medical, dental and surgery.

Medical options involve machines used to provide you with a sustainable amount of airway pressure. Dental devices are used in helping your jaw and throat to be aligned properly to prevent snoring sounds. Although these options are for temporary remedies, both are best for travelers and people with active lives.

The surgery option offers you with a permanent treatment. Originally used in the early 80’s, palate surgery or Uvulopalatoplasty (UPP) that removes a strip of soft palate, excessive uvula and tonsils treats sleep apnea. Because of this discovery, doctors modified this procedure to cure snores and apnea painlessly – the laser-assisted Uvulopalatoplasty or commonly called as LAUP.

Laser-assisted surgery was introduced in the US in 1993. The LAUP surgery required three to five treatment sessions in shaping the soft palate and uvula adequately. Each session had 5 to 10 days of post-operation pain.

Today, the process of laser surgery is done with just one session – it is called LU or Laser Uvulectomy. This procedure removes a small amount of the tissues in your mouth and it takes about 30 minutes up to an hour.

To give you an idea on which part would be removed, stand in front of the mirror and open your mouth. You would see the soft palate, uvula, tonsils and your tongue. The soft palate is the structure that hangs down your throat like a curtain. Below it is the uvula which has no known function and the tonsils that defends your immune system.

Here are the steps in LU treatments:

1) Anesthesia. The first step is anesthetizing the soft palate. A numbing spray is applied on the soft palate to avoid the needle prick’s pain.

* The next step is sedating the soft palate and uvula area that would be removed by the laser. Depending on the patient’s pain tolerance, more anesthesia solution is injected until the soft palate is completely numb.

2) Laser. The surgery begins when the CO2 laser is activated. The cuts from the laser are made on both sides of the palate. The size of this cut depends on the length of the patient’s soft palate. Deeper cuts are required for longer soft palates.

* The extra tissues of the soft palate together with the uvula are removed.

3) Inspection. After the palate and uvula removal, the margins of the cut are inspected for any bleeding.

* Another set of anesthetic solution is applied into the palate for several hours of pain control.

* The days after your laser surgery, majority of the patients would produce worse snoring. This is because of the swollen throat from the LU surgery. As the wound heals, so will the snores.

* After a few weeks, the palate heals, becomes shorter and more firmed. You would be able to notice the lesser sounds of snoring when asleep. If there are no results, check back with your physician for another examination.

Before your snores lead to sleep apnea, visit your nearest physician for a full check up and laser treatments. With as little as 600 to 700 dollars, all your snoring problems would be done with permanently.