The soft palate, if it becomes loose or flabby or is naturally so, is one of the main causes of snoring. As air is taken in and passes through the airway, it vibrates the soft palate, uvula and back of the tongue to cause the sounds of snoring. This is, in fact, where your snoring — loud snoring too — originates.
The palate can become flabby if you gain too much weight, in which case you’ll need to lose the weight to restore matters to normal, but even so, you still may experience snoring and sleeping difficulties. Or you may have been born with a palate prone to vibrate.
In a previous post, we mentioned how the Pillar Procedure can strengthen the palate by inserting small woven implants into the soft palate in a gentle, quick office procedure.
Another treatment is Palate Coblation, which in principle is quite similar to Turbinate Coblation, which involves removing excess flesh from inside the nose to eliminate breathing restrictions. Palate Coblation does much the same for the soft palate, strengthening it to help eliminate the vibrations and thus the snoring.
Like its turbinate cousin, Palate Coblation is a quick office procedure that involves the use of radio frequency (RF) energy to create channels in the soft palate. The body’s natural response to these channels is to form scar tissue, which stiffens the soft palate over the coming weeks.
And since Palate Coblation uses low-frequency RF energy, it typically provides results with less discomfort than laser devices and other more invasive procedures and can be done in about 20 minutes.
Most patients undergoing Palate Coblation report a significant reduction in snoring within six weeks. Though not a permanent solution, the procedure can offer years of relief.
The Snoring Center’s Board Certified physicians can determine if you’re a candidate for Palate Coblation. Wherever you live, if you have trouble snoring and/or sleeping, you owe it to yourself to seek professional evaluation, advice and possible treatment. Make the call today.
