Different Types of Snoring Surgery and How They are Performed

Snoring usually occurs when something blocks the air flow in the back of the mouth and the nose. This area of the throat includes the uvula, that hanging bulb you see at the back of your mouth, the soft palate, which is the roof of the mouth, and the tonsil, which is the patch of tissue on both sides of the uvula. When these parts block the air coming and going from your lungs in some way, they tend to vibrate, thus producing the sounds that keep lots of people awake into the wee hours of the night.

Most of us assess snoring as just a noisy bedtime accompaniment that we’d rather do without, but snoring can lead to a condition called sleep apnea, which is a disorder caused by the blocking of the airways to the lungs making the person “stop” breathing for a few seconds which lowers blood oxygen; in the long run, this disorder may induce heart enlargement and high blood pressure.

Now snoring can be alleviated by following simple guidelines before sleep, like not drinking heavily, tilting the head of your bed, or sleeping on your side, but sometimes these practices aren’t enough, especially those with chronic cases, sometimes snoring surgery needs to be done.

In the advent of sleep apnea, what is probably best for a person with this condition is some snoring surgery. There are different types of snoring surgery available, some very minimal and some a bit drastic, a few of which have been outlined and briefly described below.

Septoplasty

Accidents may have caused the cartilage between the nostrils called the septum to become bent, blocking one side of the nostril. Septoplasty is a form of snoring surgery that straightens out the bent septum to allow for equal air flow in both nostrils. No incision is done in this procedure but a few dissolving stitches may be called for.

Turbinate Surgery

The turbinates are small bones inside the nasal passageways, when a person has allergic reactions some of the tissues in these parts swell and obstruct air flow, causing snoring. Snoring surgery is by cautery, which reduces the size of the nasal tissues allowing for normal air flow.

Radiowave palatoplasty

This snoring surgery is commonly known as somnoplasty, it’s a relatively new procedure, and so the long term effects haven’t been studied yet. It uses radiowaves to shrink the soft palate, so it doesn’t block the throat. The advantage of this snoring surgery is that it is more comfortable compared to the other procedures, in most cases, patients may return to work 24 hours after the procedure. It is usually repeated, if the snoring resumes after two months.

Laser Treatment

The common name for this snoring procedure is Laserbatten, it involves the use of a carbon dioxide laser to, like the radiowave treatment, restructure the soft palate and the uvula to make for better air flow in the throat. This snoring surgery is done under local anesthesia, on an outpatient basis, usually requiring only one week of home recovery.

Tonsillectomy

Snoring in infants and some adults are caused by overly large tonsils, tonsillectomy includes the surgical solution for snoring by removing the tonsils entirely. This snoring surgeryy, however, doesn’t stand alone and must be accompanied by others for full effect.

Neck Lipectomy

Excess fat in the neck part is removed in this procedure through liposuction or liposhaving. A desirable after effect of this snoring surgery is the fact that it reduces, if not fully eradicates the double chin.

Tongue surgery

In moderate, and usually alcohol induced sleep apnea, the tongue might fall back into the back of the mouth and block the throat, this can also be caused by an overly large tongue. With tongue snoring surgery is done by decreasing the size of the tongue. This type of snoring surgery has its drawbacks as it causes post surgery swelling.

Most types of snoring surgery are very non-invasive and often require very little discomfort in shorter time periods, there are other more drastic measure which include the blatant relocation of the jaw, but these procedures are mostly done on a last resort basis. Even though they are relatively simple, it is best to consult a doctor first before deciding on any type of snoring surgery.