The Pillar Procedure: Simple Operation With Low Risk

The Pillar Procedure

This procedure is a popular surgical option to stop snoring. It is a fairly simple operation with low risk. It is being used to help prevent normal snoring as well as sleep apnea.

This option is pretty quick and should be done in well under an hour. The risks are low because no tissue is removed. It comes with the standard cons though. For a few weeks afterwards you may have a hard time eating or drinking and some pain is possible.

What It Is

So what exactly is the Pillar procedure? Well, in a nutshell it stiffens your soft palate to keep you from snoring. This operation is fairly new so some questions have not been answered yet. I’ll explain exactly what a doctor does to you to perform the operation.

Since general anesthesia is not needed, a pain killer is injected directly into your soft palate so that you cannot feel the procedure. Unfortunately you will feel the shot. Once your mouth is numb the doctor will put three small pillar shaped implants into the roof of your mouth at the very end near the throat. Once the implants are in the procedure is done. This operation should not take very long for most doctors.

The implants themselves do not keep you from snoring. It is what the implants make your body do that stops the snoring. After the three implants are set in your soft palate your body will react to them naturally. Your body will want to repair itself since it thinks it has been hurt. This causes your soft palate to scar and become stiffer. The change in firmness of the soft palate is what will help to keep you from snoring.

What You Can Expect

Reportedly, improvements can be seen the very first night. Given the nature of the human body the results should continue to improve until they reach their maximum a few months later. After these few months the results will not increase any more but the results you already have should stick around for a long time.

One thing to watch after the procedure is the implants themselves. They can fall out or poke out of your soft palate. If this happens you will need to see the doctor again. At this point they will either remove the implant that is moving or replace it with a new one.

The Long Term

However, since this procedure is still pretty new doctors don’t know everything about it yet. For example, no one can say for sure how long the results last or if the operation needs to be repeated every so often. Most of the long term questions cannot be answered yet. Doctors are not even sure what kind of snoring this procedure is best at preventing or who it can help the most.

The Pillar procedure looks like a promising option but there is just not enough information yet. If you are looking for a solution right now I would try the other available solutions first.

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