Three tiny polyester cords placed in the floppy tissue near the back of the roof of the mouth have been proven to curb snoring and now researchers want to know if they can stop potentially dangerous sleep apnea as well.
The Medical College of Georgia is one of handful of sites in the nation studying the Pillar Palatal Implant System -- approved by the Food and Drug Administration in December 2002 to treat snoring -- for its potential in sleep apnea, says Dr. David J. Terris, chair of the MCG Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
“This is the most recent innovation in treating snoring,” he says. “It’s a one-step procedure where you insert a biologically inert implant made of Dacron … in the palate at three different locations and it works like a batten on a sail. Instead of the palate flopping and fluttering, these battens make it a little stiff so it doesn’t flutter.”
Air moving past this fluttering, floppy tissue just behind the hard palate, makes the annoying snoring sound. Muscles are more taut when you are awake, but during sleep they relax and the noise begins, says Dr. Terris. Anatomy can play a role; a big tongue or tonsils or a small jaw can worsen the problem. “Just like other parts of our bodies tend to sag a little with age, throat tissues tend to sag and that predisposes this to collapse,” he says.
People also tend to gain weight with age. “If you are overweight, you get fatty deposition in your abdomen as well as your neck and throat, so that plays a role.” Alcohol and sedatives increase relaxation and the problem.