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I have the best ENT in the universe! Dr. Yu at carolina ENT and associates in Chapel Hill. I drive 45 min to see her. She is up to date with the latest research and surgical techniques. I am an R.N. and would never use anyone else. She fixed my ENT problem that no one else could seem to fix and never had any problems since!
I did have the sleep apnea surgical fix. There are at least 3 different options, depending on the issues. I had all three: nose, palate and back of throat and tongue reduction (via radio frequency). It was the worse surgery of my life and I have had a number. However, it did work--I have had no sleep apnea for almost 10 years. I had the surgery done at Emory Clinic in Atlanta. I would suggest Duke or Emory as alternatives to consider. You want a surgeon who does a lot of these specific operations.
I had the pillar procedure where three silicone rods are inserted into the soft palate to keep it from vibrating, which is where most snoring comes from. For a couple of months afterward, my wife said I didn't snore at all. Then I started gaining weight, and the snoring came back. I eventually got a BiPap, but couldn't tolerate the mask. I'm trying to get one of the new cloth masks now to see if they're easier to adapt to.
For kids, the snoring problem is usually do to enlarged tonsils. So commonly you do a T&A for that.
For adults snoring can be due to a number of things. Fixing the nose is a good step as many people breathe through their mouth because they can't breathe from their nose. You can fix the septum and reduce the size of the turbinates.
The next surgical option is often UPPP (uvulopalatopharyngoplasty) this involves removing the uvula and removing part of the soft palate in order to tighten up the soft palate to reduce obstruction/vibration. This is often also combined with removing the tonsils. This is a painful procedure for adults and you can expect a 10 day recovery not having much fun. If this doesn't work then there are dozens of other procedures to correct issues with the tongue or even bone structure. The field is progressing towards a better way to diagnose the case of sleep apnea so that a surgical approach can be better targeted towards the actual area of obstruction.
It's good to go to someone who does a lot of these surgeries but just so you know these are pretty easy surgeries for any ENT to do.
CPAP is a great option but many people cannot tolerate it. If you have surgery to open up your nasal passages it often allows a lower CPAP pressure that is more easily tolerated.
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