If You Have Tried Everything Else, Laser Surgery For Snoring May Be For You.
Uvulopalatoplasty is the name for the laser surgery for snoring. If you have tried every other approach to stop your snoring without any success, then surgery may be something to consider. I want to emphasize that surgery should not be your first line of attack. We are too willing to use surgery for quick fixes. But if nothing has worked for you, then you can learn more about uvulopalatoplasty. It basically involves using a laser to cut off the uvula, the thing that hangs in the throat.
Breakdown of Laser Surgery for Snoring
Laser surgery for snoring is an outpatient procedure, meaning that you do not have to stay in the hospital after the surgery is performed. It is completed under a local anesthesia, which is sprayed on the back oral cavity, tonsils, uvula, and soft palate. Then, additional local anesthesia is injected into the muscle of the uvula. After several minutes have passed, the surgeon will use a laser to make two vertical cuts in the palate on either side of the uvula. This shortens the uvula and gets rid of what was once the obstruction that caused your snoring.
The entire operation is performed while you are sitting straight up in a chair. Oftentimes, it takes more than one procedure to complete the surgery; in fact, it can take as many as five laser surgery for snoring to complete the operation. When multiple surgeries are required, they are spaced anywhere from four to eight weeks from one another.
After you have laser surgery for snoring performed, you will most likely see a quick recovery. Right after the procedure, most people experience a pain, similar to that of a sore throat, which occurs when they swallow. This may last for up to ten days, and it can be relieved by over-the-counter medications. Although patients themselves are unable to witness the results of their laser surgery for snoring, their sleeping partners will definitely notice a difference!
Consult Your Doctor
If you have been trying to cure your snoring then it’s likely that your doctor is aware of your problem and everything that you have been trying to stop it. If you doctor hasn’t already recommended laser surgery for snoring, then you can raise the issue with him or her. It’s unlikely that your doctor would give you a referral right off the bat. He or she will want to first be sure that your snoring is serious enough to warrant surgery. They’ll want to know if it’s keeping you awake at night, interfering with your work, etc. If they can determine that your situation is serious enough, then they will likely give you a referral.