Is Nightlase Covered By Insurance?

We all snore occasionally. Around 44% men and 28% women aged between 30 and 60 years are habitual snorers. Habitual snoring is a marker for sleep apnea syndrome, and sleep apnea syndrome is a culprit for high blood pressure, heart failure, stroke, and daytime sleepiness. Hence, management of snoring and resultant sleep apnea is important.

Snoring occurs when the airflow causes the throat tissue to vibrate in sleep, creating a noise. Snoring may be associated with

• Restless sleep
• Night awakening
• Morning fatigue
• Daytime sleepiness
• Hypoxemia (low levels of oxygen in the blood)

NightLase is a nonsurgical treatment modality for snoring. The laser treatment provides at least a year long relief (sometimes longer) from snoring. NightLase is performed in multiple sessions. It uses the laser to heat the soft tissue in the back of the mouth without pain and disfigurement. This heating causes the tissue to scar and become stiff, thus preventing it from collapsing in sleep. NightLase is also indicated in the following conditions:

• Management of obstructive sleep apnea (obstruction of the air passage, which results in cessation of breath during sleep)
• Upper airway resistance syndrome (slowing or blockage of air in the nasal passages)

Advantages of using NightLase include:

• No surgery required
• Virtually painless procedure for almost all patients
• Improved sleep
• Effective
• Improved health
• No need for other oral appliances
• Good alternatives to oral appliances
• No scarring
• Safe method
• Satisfactory results

NightLase is a non-surgical laser snoring treatment that provides long-term relief from snoring. Because NightLase is a minimally invasive procedure, it does not require anesthetics.

NightLase uses the laser to heat the soft tissue in the back of the mouth without pain and disfigurement. There are two steps in this procedure:

1. Preconditioning: Laser light preheats the tissue.
2. Tissue strengthening: Laser light strengthens the tissue.

During the tissue-strengthening step, patients may feel warmth at the back of their mouth, which is desirable because it indicates stiffening and toning of the soft palatal tissues.

After the surgery, you may experience a sore throat the next morning. However, do not worry; this would resolve by the second day.

You should undergo three to four sessions for optimal results. After the third session, there will be a noticeable change in the opening of the airway. Studies have stated that NightLase treatment has given a satisfactory outcome in about 74% of patients.

There are several conservative approaches to treat snoring, including:

• Weight loss
• Sleeping on the side of your stomach rather than on the back
• Avoiding alcohol within 3 hours of bedtime
• Nasal drops

Some of the nonsurgical methods include:

• Special pillows
• Dental bites
• Chin straps
• Nasal dilators