Obstructive sleep apnea
Laser assisted adenoidectomy
Nose surgery
Laser management of blocked nose
Laser management of snoring

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There are many possible ways to stop snoring. Obviously, avoiding the cause would seem to be the most sensible and reducing weight, stopping smoking; cutting out late meals, alcohol and sleeping pills may be very effective. Some gargles or throat sprays can be helpful, as can nostril dilators (strips) to encourage nasal breathing, raising the head of the bed or fixing something like a golf ball or a marble to the back of the snorer's pyjamas. The effects of a small lower jaw may be countered by a dental device to push the lower jaw forwards. If there is a sufficient degree of sleep apnoea the use of a CPAP (controlled positive airway pressure) machine may be indicated. However this involves wearing a mask attached to a compressor for the whole night to keep the airways from collapsing and is often uncomfortable or inconvenient.

Though such treatments often work for some people the beneficial effects may wear off or, worse they may cause a ‘rebound' congestion in the nose. Also, there are a great many snorers for whom they don't work. These people have to consider surgery as a means to cure.

Surgical treatment for snoring has progressed enormously in the past few years with the arrival of the laser. This has almost entirely replaced the surgical removal with a scalpel of the uvula and a reshaping of the soft palate, the pharynx and often of the tonsils as well. It is now recognised that tonsillectomy will only be helpful if the tonsils are very much enlarged (and almost meeting in the middle of the pharynx). The rest of this brutal and painful procedure has now been replaced with a more refined, limited and much more accurate process using the laser. But the lasers differ in quality. It is therefore very important to chose the adequate laser for the particular problem. Tissue is removed by vaporisation (the uvula and the adjacent part of the soft palate itself on both sides) and is much less invasive. There is much less bleeding and less pain so that healing takes place more quickly. The Waterlase operation is done in about fifteen minutes as an office-procedure with only local anaesthesia required and the patient can travel home half an hour later. Because of the precision and improved visualisation of the operation site about 97% of cases are completed in one go. As the soft palate heals it contracts and tightens, reducing the tissues causing vibrations and enlarging the breathing space. (Figure 1-3). Snoring is improved in about 95% of cases.

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