What are the medical treatments for snoring?

If your own efforts to stop snoring do not help, consult your physician or an otolaryngologist (ENT, or ear, nose, and throat doctor) If you choose to try a dental appliance for your snoring, you will need to see a dentist specializing in these devices. Some medical solutions to snoring are:

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure consists of sleeping with an air mask to maintain continuous air pressure in the throat. CPAP is a treatment for sleep apnea, as well as for snoring. For details on Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, see the Helpguide article on Sleep Apnea: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, and Treatment.

Dental appliances, oral devices, and lower jaw positioners
A wide range of dental appliances, oral devices, and lower jaw adjusters are available to alleviate snoring. Some people experience significant improvement with these oral appliances, which bring the lower jaw forward during sleep. Most of the products fit inside the mouth, but some products on the market are worn around the head and chin to adjust the position of the lower jaw.

Surgery
Thermal Ablation Palatoplasty (TAP) treats snoring and various types of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

The types of TAP include:

1. Bipolar cautery
   
2. Laser-Assisted Uvula Palatoplasty (LAUP) vaporizes the uvula and a portion of the palate with a laser in the doctor's office under local anesthesia. LAUP effectively removes obstructions to the airway, which may be causing snoring or sleep apnea. Laser-Assisted Uvula Palatoplasty has a higher success rate than UPPP, but it requires a surgeon with expertise in laser procedures.
   
3. Radiofrequency ablation, or somnoplasty, shrinks excess tissue in the upper airway with a needle electrode. For snoring, the soft palate and uvula are reduced. For Obstructive Sleep Apnea, the base of the tongue is reduced. For chronic nasal obstruction, nasal turbinates are reduced. Somnoplasty does not require general anesthesia.
   
4. Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy may help children with serious snoring problems.

These procedures remove the tonsils and adenoids.

See your doctor or dentist to discuss the medical treatments available and to decide which might help you.