What is Nightlase®?
NightLase Treatment is a patented, fast, non-invasive and friendly way of increasing the quality of a patient’s sleep. NightLase lessens the effects of sleep apnea and decreases the amplitude of snoring through the use of gentle, superficial Er:YAG laser light. No anesthesia is used in this treatment.
The NightLase uses a long pulsed laser to treat snoring. The heat prompts the laser to stimulate collagen and strengthen the tissue. The tightening of the throat tissues helps to open up the airway at the back of the throat.
How Does it Work?
Nightlase works by shrinking and firming the soft palate. Using our erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (er:YAG) laser–the Fotona Lightwalker–your sleep dentist will gently heat your soft palate. This laser-induced heating causes minor injuries to the soft palate
What to expect?
A full course of NightLase® treatment is comprised of three separate treatment sessions over a six week period. The final result of the treatment has been shown to last up to a year. When the patients or their loved ones notice the effects erroding, another round of treatment can be performed.
How To Prepare For An Appointment
A full course of NightLase consists of three separate treatment sessions over a six week period. The final results of the treatment have been shown to last more than 2 years for 70% of patients, and the therapy can be repeated based on severity and needs.
Before treatment:
Avoid excessive alcohol consumption 2-3 days before treatment and avoid smoking cigarettes or marijuana the day of treatment.
Brush and/or floss your teeth and thoroughly rinse your mouth before treatment. Make sure not consume any kind of food or drink, including water, 2 hours prior to the treatment. As there is often some gagging involved during the treatment as we may need to push the tongue down to access appropriate tissues. No numbing or anesthesia will be used during the treatment.
During Treatment:
Once we start the procedure you will not be allowed any bathroom breaks or opportunities to take a break (this is because the tissue needs to stay warm for the treatment to work,) so please take bathroom breaks BEFORE the start of treatment. It is important that you communicate if the treatment is too painful or you wish to discontinue treatment during the procedure so we can accommodate your needs.