Surgical Snoring Treatments

There is no single operation for snoring. The right procedure depends on what is causing it: the soft palate, the uvula, the tonsils, a blocked nose, or several of these together. Our board-certified ENT physicians find the source and check for sleep apnea before recommending anything.

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Does Surgery Stop Snoring?

It can, when the procedure matches the source of the snoring and sleep apnea has been ruled out first. Snoring is tissue vibrating in a narrowed airway, and the tissue that vibrates differs from person to person. A palate procedure alone will not fix snoring driven by a blocked nose, and nasal surgery alone does not reliably stop snoring that comes from the palate. Most procedures reduce snoring without ending it completely, and results can fade over time.

For most people, surgery is not the first step. Weight loss, less alcohol in the evening, side sleeping and an oral appliance help many snorers, and specialty guidelines recommend them first (Sarkis, Australasian Sleep Association position statement, Respirology, 2023). Surgery is for snoring that continues anyway and has a source we can see on exam.

First, Make Sure It Is Only Snoring

Snoring can be a warning sign of obstructive sleep apnea, especially with gasping, pauses in breathing or daytime sleepiness (NHLBI, NIH). The two are treated differently. A palate procedure can quiet the snoring while the apnea goes on untreated.

For that reason we strongly recommend a sleep study before any snoring procedure. An at-home sleep study can be picked up at any of our four offices and is done in your own bed. If it shows sleep apnea, we treat that first. See snoring and sleep apnea for those options.

What to Try Before Surgery

Two specialty-society guidelines on snoring recommend the same first steps (Sarkis, Australasian Sleep Association position statement, Respirology, 2023; Stuck, German Society of Otorhinolaryngology guideline, 2015):

Weight loss, if you are overweight
Less alcohol in the evening
Side sleeping, if you snore mainly on your back
An oral appliance that holds the lower jaw forward during sleep. Guidelines recommend it as a first-line treatment for people with healthy teeth. These are made by a dental sleep specialist we refer to.
Treatment for nasal congestion from allergies

Our snoring treatment page covers these in more detail. If you have tried them and still snore, a procedure may help.

Where the Snoring Comes From, and the Procedure That Fits

We find the source with an exam of your nose and throat and a flexible scope in the office. Each procedure below treats one source, and most have their own page with the details.

Nasal Surgery

A blocked nose forces mouth breathing at night, which makes snoring worse. Septoplasty, turbinate reduction and nasal valve repair open the nose. Guidelines describe nasal surgery as an add-on to other snoring treatment.

Injection Snoreplasty

For a soft palate that flutters. An injection stiffens the palate so it vibrates less. It takes about 15 minutes in the office and is the least invasive palate option, best for mild to moderate snoring.

Radiofrequency Palate Treatment

Also stiffens the soft palate, using radiofrequency energy in place of an injection. It is done under local anesthesia in our Austin office. Your surgeon will tell you which of the two suits your palate.

Uvulectomy

For a long or thick uvula that vibrates against the back of the throat. Part or all of the uvula is removed in the office under local anesthesia.

Tonsillectomy

Only when large tonsils are crowding the throat. It is not a general snoring operation. In adults with large tonsils, removing them can improve breathing during sleep.

UPPP (Palate and Throat Surgery)

Removes and reshapes excess tissue of the palate and throat. It is the most extensive option, done under general anesthesia, and is used mainly for patients who also have sleep apnea.

What the research says. A systematic review of radiofrequency palate treatment found that it may reduce snoring, at least in the short term, with less pain than other palate procedures and a small risk of side effects, although most studies were small and short (Bäck, The Laryngoscope, 2009). In adults with large tonsils and sleep apnea, tonsillectomy lowered apnea severity substantially (Camacho, The Laryngoscope, 2016), and in a randomized trial tonsillectomy alone did as well as the more extensive UPPP (Sundman, JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, 2022).

What Snoring Surgery Can and Cannot Fix

What It Can Do

When the source has been found, surgery can:

Reduce how loud and how often you snore
Open a blocked nose so you can sleep with your mouth closed
Relieve the gagging or throat irritation of a long uvula
Be repeated or stepped up later if the first procedure is not enough

What It Cannot Do

No snoring procedure can:

Guarantee silence. Most patients snore less, and some still snore
Treat sleep apnea. Palate procedures for snoring are not sleep apnea treatments
Fix snoring driven by weight, alcohol, or several sources at once
Promise a permanent result. Snoring returns in some patients

In a follow-up study of injection snoreplasty, 92% of patients were satisfied at first and 75% at an average of 19 months, and snoring returned in 18%. The authors found these rates similar to other snoring treatments (Brietzke and Mair, Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, 2003).

What Gets Combined, and Why We Often Go Step by Step

Snoring often has more than one source, so procedures are sometimes combined:

Uvulectomy and snoreplasty in the same office visit, when the uvula and the palate both contribute
Nasal surgery and a palate procedure in one session
Tonsillectomy with a palate procedure, when large tonsils and the palate are both involved

In other patients we treat the nose first, let it heal, and see how much the snoring improves before doing anything to the palate.

Why step by step. Palate tissue cannot be put back once it is removed. Lasting changes in swallowing or throat sensation are documented after the more extensive palate operations, UPPP and uvulopalatoplasty (Franklin, Sleep, 2009). So we start with the least invasive option that fits your anatomy and move up only if it is needed.

Recovery After Snoring Surgery

Recovery ranges from a sore throat for a few days to about two weeks, depending on the procedure.

	Injection Snoreplasty	Uvulectomy	Tonsillectomy	UPPP	Nasal Surgery
Where	In the office	In our Austin office	Outpatient surgery, home the same day	Surgery center, home the same day	In the office or at a surgery center
Anesthesia	Topical and local	Local	General	General	IV or general
Recovery	Sore throat for up to a week; normal activities the same day	Sore throat for 1 to 2 weeks; soft diet for the first few days	10 to 14 days	About 2 weeks of significant throat soreness	A couple of days to a week off work; no nose blowing for 1 week
When results show	Full results at 6 to 8 weeks	As swelling settles over the following weeks	After the throat heals	After the throat heals	Gradually over the first few weeks

Risks and Side Effects

A sore throat is expected after any palate, uvula or tonsil procedure. Some patients notice a temporary change in swallowing, throat sensation or voice while they heal. Removing too much palate tissue can let liquids escape into the nose when swallowing, which is why our surgeons remove only what is needed.

After tonsillectomy, call us for any bleeding. Go to the emergency room or call 911 for heavy bleeding or if you are spitting or vomiting blood. Bleeding guidance after nasal surgery is on our nasal surgery page.

Insurance and Cost

Procedures done only for snoring are typically not covered by insurance. Your sleep study may be, and surgery for a documented medical problem such as nasal obstruction or sleep apnea usually is. Our team verifies your benefits before scheduling and gives you pricing for anything that is not covered.

Snoring Surgery FAQ

No procedure can promise that. Surgery reduces snoring when it treats the tissue that is vibrating. Most patients snore less, and some still snore. Results can also fade with time, which is one reason we start with the least invasive option that fits your anatomy.

We strongly recommend one before any snoring procedure. Snoring can be a warning sign of obstructive sleep apnea, and a palate procedure can quiet the snoring while the apnea continues. An at-home sleep study can be picked up at any of our four offices.

Injection snoreplasty. Most patients have a sore throat for up to a week and return to normal activities the same day. After uvulectomy, expect a sore throat for 1 to 2 weeks. Tonsillectomy and UPPP have the hardest recoveries, about two weeks of significant throat pain.

It can. In a follow-up study of injection snoreplasty, 75% of patients were still satisfied at an average of 19 months and 18% had their snoring return, rates the authors found similar to other snoring treatments (Brietzke and Mair, Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, 2003). A second treatment is sometimes an option.

Yes, the two can be done in one session. In other patients we treat the nose first and see how much the snoring improves before doing anything to the palate. Your surgeon will recommend one approach or the other based on your exam.

Procedures done only for snoring are typically not covered. Your sleep study may be, and surgery for a documented medical problem such as nasal obstruction or sleep apnea usually is. Our team verifies your benefits before scheduling.

Find Out Where Your Snoring Comes From

Our ENT physicians will examine your nose and throat, arrange a sleep study if you need one, and tell you which treatment fits.

Request an Appointment Call Austin: 512-339-4040