Snoring #7. What can be done about it? A daily series of blogs by Mike Dilkes, ENT-laser.

The final solution for a snorer is a ventilation device to use at night. It's called Continuous Positive Airway Pressure ventilation (CPAP). It works by blowing the airway open, so collapse can't occur, particularly in the retrolingual area, once again. No collapse, no turbulent flow, no snoring. The reason why we don't use CPAP more often is that patients find it hard to tolerate as the ventilation occurs via a mask tightly fitted to the face with elasticated straps. It's also quite noisy. However, it works to suppress snoring very nicely when it's tolerated. Often snoring patients are referred to chest physicians, who don't have ENT examination facilities, and therefore tend to use this as the sole treatment method as they don't have anything else to offer. This is a shame as a combination of ENT and orthodontic (mandibular splint) intervention can often solve the problem without the need for CPAP.