Snoring/Sleep Apnea: Not Funny, Not Hopeless

What is snoring?
The noisy sounds of snoring occur when there is an obstruction to the free flow of air through the passages at the back of the mouth and nose. This area is the collapsible part of the airway where the tongue and upper throat meet the soft palate and uvula. When these structures strike each other and vibrate during breathing that is snoring.

What is obstructive sleep apnea?
Obstructive sleep apnea is a breathing disorder that results from the partial or total obstruction of the upper airway during sleep. When tissue in the back of the mouth, throat, and/or nose obstructs airflow during sleep, patients suffer an apnea (total interruption of the flow of air to the lungs for at least ten seconds) or a hypopnea (partial interruption of airflow). When this occurs, the body responds by interrupting sleep to restart breathing.

How can I get relief?
A revolutionary new outpatient treatment is now available for Snoring and Sleep Apnea. The Pillar Implant procedure stiffins the soft pallelte with out pain and loss of work. To learn more on the Pillar Implant Procedure, visit our Pillar Implant pages. The Somnoplasty® procedure gently reduces and stiffens the tissues in the soft palate and uvula, and so does without the pain associated with conventional and laser-assisted surgeries. To learn more on Somnoplasty visit our Somnoplasty® for Snoring and our F.A.Q on Somnoplasty® pages.

A revolutionary new outpatient treatment is now available for Sleep Apnea. Until now patients with obstructive sleep apnea faced a limited and unpleasant choice of treatments. The Genioglossus Advancement and Hyoid Myotomy is a new, minimally invasive procedure to advance the base of tounge, the most difficult obstruction to treat. To lean more about this Genioglossus Advancement and Hyoid Myotomy, see the GAHM pages. The Somnoplasty® procedure is a new, minimally invasive, outpatient procedure that reduces and tightens excess tissue responsible for obstructive sleep apnea, including the base of tongue, the most difficult to treat source of obstruction. To learn more on Somnoplasty visit our Somnoplasty® for Sleep Apnea page.

Non-surgical approaches in both instances include weight loss and other lifestyle modification or the use of an oral appliance to reposition the jaw during sleep. A variety of traditional surgeries are available to reduce the excess tissue.