Surgeries

Surgery is usually only an option after other treatments have failed.
Generally, at least a three-month trial of other treatment options is suggested before considering surgery.
However, for a small number of people with certain jaw structure problems, it's a good first option.
Surgical options might include:

Tissue removal

During this procedure (uvulopalatopharyngoplasty), your doctor removes tissue from the rear of your mouth and top of your throat. Your tonsils and adenoids usually are removed as well. This type of surgery might be successful in stopping throat structures from vibrating and causing snoring. It's less effective than CPAP and isn't considered a reliable treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. Removing tissues in the back of your throat with radiofrequency energy (radiofrequency ablation) might be an option if you can't tolerate CPAP or oral appliances.

Tissue shrinkage

Another option is to shrink the tissue at the rear of your mouth and the back of your throat using energy (radiofrequency ablation).
This procedure might be used for mild to moderate sleep apnea.
One study found this to have effects similar to that of tissue removal, but with fewer surgical risks.

Jaw repositioning

In this procedure, your jaw is moved forward from the remainder of your face bones.
This enlarges the space behind the tongue and soft palate, making obstruction less likely.
This procedure is known as maxillomandibular advancement.

Implants

Plastic rods are surgically implanted into the soft palate after you've received local anesthetic. More research is needed to determine how well implants work.
Nerve stimulation. This requires surgery to insert a stimulator for the nerve that controls tongue movement (hypoglossal nerve).
The increased stimulation helps keep the tongue in a position that keeps the airway open.

Tracheostomy

You may need this form of surgery if other treatments have failed and you have severe,
life-threatening sleep apnea. In this procedure, your surgeon makes an opening in your neck and inserts a metal or plastic tube
through which you breathe. You keep the opening covered during the day. But at night you uncover it to allow air to pass in and out of your lungs,
bypassing the blocked air passage in your throat.