Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) is constantly evaluating the procedures that it performs. Partly, this is driven by cost. The NHS is expensive, and British media constantly tries to embarrass the service because it’s providing unnecessary procedures. But partly it’s driven by the philosophy of evidence-based medicine.
The NHS is constantly evaluating the procedures it provides to determine whether they are actually good for patients, providing reasonable benefits for the cost. In a recent review of its procedures, the NHS has decided that it could save an estimated £200 million ($263 million) by eliminating procedures where “the risks outweigh the benefits.” Among the procedures it considers on that list are snoring surgery and breast reduction surgery.
Snoring Surgery Has Low Success
One of the problems with snoring surgery is that it has a relatively low success rate. In some clinical trials, snoring surgery to reshape the tissues that narrow the airway or vibrate in turbulent air have a success rate of 50% or less most of the time.
Certainly, a procedure with a success rate of less than 50% should be considered only when the consequences of non-treatment are great or no other treatment options exist. But when it comes to snoring, we have other, better treatment options that can provide quality results.
Positive Results of Surgery Decline
Another problem with snoring surgery is that even successful treatments don’t stay successful over time. Even when snoring surgery is initially successful, the results can decline over time, leading to more people who have had surgery, but experienced only short-term relief.
The supposed benefit of snoring treatment would be that it took care of the problem and people didn’t need oral appliances or CPAP to keep treating their snoring. But it turns out that’s not the case.
Snoring Surgery Has High Risks
Unfortunately, another drawback of snoring surgery is that it comes with high risks of serious complications. One study of the complication rates of these procedures showed that serious complications could occur in as much as 3.7% of all snoring surgeries. Often, these are serious bleeding, but the complications could be disabling or even deadly.
That is a very high risk rate for a procedure that may only have a 50% chance of success!
There Are Better Choices Than Surgery for Snoring
If you are a snorer who is considering surgery, remember that there are many better approaches to treating your snoring than surgery. Instead, you should consider the use of an oral appliance. This simple, noninvasive approach to snoring treatment has a very high success rate, and, when properly managed, has a very low complication rate, with serious complications almost unheard of.
If you are looking for an effective, safe, and economical snoring treatment in Omaha, please call (402) 493-4175 today for an appointment with a sleep dentist at the Advanced Dental Sleep Treatment Center.
