Do you or does someone you know snore? Are you tired during the
day? Maybe you fall asleep during the day and rest? Snoring causes a disruption in sleep patterns for both the patient and their partner. Sleep plays a vital role in good health and well-being throughout your life. Ongoing sleep deficiency can raise the risk factors for chronic health issues such as high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, asthma, COPD, cancer, arthritis, kidney disease, diabetes, and depression. It can also affect how well we react at work, absorb new information, and get along with others.
There are different types of snoring:
(1) Palatal snoring is the most common. This occurs when the air flows past the relaxed tissues in the soft palate and causes the tissue to vibrate. Loose palate tissue obstructs the airway causing loud snoring.
(2) Obstructive Sleep Apnea is caused by the throat muscle relaxing too much during sleep which will cause pauses in breathing, thus reducing blood oxygen levels.
Other factors related to snoring are alcohol consumption, body weight, sleep position, or nasal obstruction.
Patients who snore should have an evaluation by a medical professional to
determine if a sleep study is necessary. If the patient has sleep apnea, it will require the use of a C-pap machine to assist in keeping the airway open during sleep.
Many dentists now aid in the evaluation of snoring and sleep apnea and are able to treat your palatal snoring, or refer you to a sleep specialist.
If a patient has palatal snoring, it an be treated with a new innovative treatment using a SOLEA Laser. It isa short, non-invasive treatment with no downtime, no cutting, and no discomfort. The laser treats the collagen in the soft palate with a 15-minute procedure that will tighten the palate. The patient will notice a difference in the first night regarding their snoring and the palate will continue to tighten and improve over the next two weeks. This procedure can’t cure sleep apnea but can aid in the treatment of shrinking the soft palate tissue.
Compared to other lasers for this treatment, SOLEA treats the soft palate in one 15-minute session. Other lasers need three 20-minute sessions to correct.
So, if you or someone you know suffers from snoring or any of the above symptoms, call your usual medical professional for a consultation today. It can save your life.
By Candace R. Colella D.M.D., P.A.