Snoring Treatment

If your nighttime noise is echoing through the house, we can help quiet things down.

Your first step is getting your Sleep Score. This simple assessment gives us a clear picture of your sleep quality, airway health, and potential underlying issues. With accurate data, our specialists can pinpoint the cause of your snoring and recommend targeted treatments that actually work, no guesswork, no one-size-fits-all solutions.

Start your path to a better night’s sleep by getting your sleep score. Your sleep score provides critical information to properly diagnose & treat our patients.

What's My Sleep Score?

Snoring Treatment in Columbia, MO: Solutions That Actually Work

If your nighttime noise is echoing through the house, we can help quiet things down and address what’s really happening while you sleep.

At Bohon Sleep & TMJ, we’ve spent years treating Columbia, Missouri patients whose snoring isn’t just a nuisance, it’s a warning sign. While your partner may be losing sleep, you could be losing oxygen. That’s why we don’t just treat the sound; we diagnose and treat the underlying cause.

Your first step is getting your Sleep Score.

This simple assessment gives us a clear picture of your sleep quality, airway health, and potential underlying issues. With accurate data, our specialists can pinpoint the cause of your snoring and recommend targeted treatments that actually work – no guesswork, no one-size-fits-all solutions.

Schedule a Consultation

When Snoring Becomes a Medical Emergency 

While most snoring needs evaluation and treatment, certain signs indicate you need immediate medical attention:

Seek urgent care if you experience:

  • Witnessed breathing pauses lasting more than 10 seconds, especially if they’re frequent
  • Severe daytime sleepiness that causes you to fall asleep while driving or during conversations
  • Chest pain or irregular heartbeat, particularly if it worsens at night or wakes you up
  • Morning confusion or disorientation that doesn’t clear quickly after waking
  • Sudden worsening of snoring accompanied by new symptoms like difficulty swallowing
 

Schedule a sleep evaluation soon (within 1-2 weeks) if:

  • You’ve recently started snoring or your snoring has dramatically worsened
  • You’re experiencing new morning headaches, especially if they’re severe
  • Your blood pressure has become difficult to control or has suddenly increased
  • You’re falling asleep unintentionally during sedentary activities (watching TV, reading, passenger in a car)
  • Your partner reports you’ve stopped breathing during sleep, even briefly
 

These aren’t signs to “wait and see” about. The cardiovascular strain from untreated sleep apnea accumulates over time, and early intervention makes treatment simpler and outcomes better.

Snoring Treatment Options in Columbia

Once we understand what’s causing your snoring, we can recommend targeted treatments. For our Columbia patients, treatment often involves a combination of approaches:

 

Lifestyle Modifications That Make a Real Difference

For many patients, addressing lifestyle factors significantly improves, and sometimes completely resolves, snoring. This might include weight loss (even 10% of your body weight can dramatically reduce snoring), positional therapy to train yourself to sleep on your side, avoiding alcohol and sedatives before bed, treating nasal congestion and allergies, and elevating the head of your bed.

Oral Appliance Therapy

For patients with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea, or primary snoring without apnea, custom oral appliances can be remarkably effective. These FDA-approved devices are worn during sleep and work by gently repositioning your jaw and tongue to keep your airway open.

Unlike over-the-counter “snoring devices,” our custom-fitted appliances are precisely calibrated to your anatomy, ensuring they’re comfortable enough to wear all night while being effective at maintaining airway patency. Many patients prefer oral appliances over CPAP machines because they’re quiet, portable, and easier to adapt to.

CPAP and BiPAP Therapy

For moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) remains the gold standard treatment. Modern CPAP machines are quieter and more comfortable than older models, with features like auto-adjusting pressure, heated humidification, and mask options that fit virtually any face shape.

We work closely with patients to ensure proper fit and troubleshoot any issues during the adjustment period. Many patients who initially struggled with CPAP find that with the right equipment and support, it becomes part of their nightly routine, and they can’t imagine sleeping without it once they experience the difference.

Surgical Options

In some cases, surgical intervention may be the most appropriate solution, particularly for anatomical obstructions like severely enlarged tonsils, nasal polyps, or significant structural abnormalities. We coordinate with ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialists when surgical evaluation is warranted.

Combination Approaches

Often, the most effective treatment plan combines multiple strategies. A patient might use an oral appliance along with positional therapy, or CPAP therapy combined with weight loss and allergy management. We customize your treatment plan to fit your specific situation, preferences, and treatment goals.

Get Your Sleep Score

Why Choose Bohon Sleep & TMJ for Your Snoring & OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) Treatment?

In Columbia, Missouri, you have options for sleep and airway care. Here’s what sets our practice apart:

Years of Specialized Experience: Dr. Bohon has dedicated his career to understanding the complex relationship between airways, jaw structure, and sleep quality. He has treated hundreds of Mid-Missouri patients with snoring and sleep apnea, with outcomes that speak for themselves.

Comprehensive Diagnostic Approach: We don’t rely on guesswork or generic treatments. Your Sleep Score and clinical evaluation give us the precise information we need to design an effective treatment plan specifically for you.

Multiple Treatment Options Under One Roof: Rather than being limited to a single treatment modality, we offer a full range of solutions and will recommend whatever is most appropriate for your situation…even if that means referring you elsewhere for specialized care.

Ongoing Support and Monitoring: Treatment doesn’t end when you leave our office with an oral appliance or CPAP prescription. We monitor your progress, adjust treatments as needed, and ensure you’re getting the results you deserve.

We Treat the Whole Person: We understand that snoring and sleep apnea don’t exist in isolation. Many patients also struggle with TMJ issues, headaches, or chronic pain, all of which can be interconnected. Our comprehensive approach addresses all these factors.

Frequently Asked Questions About Snoring Treatment

Is snoring always a sign of sleep apnea?

No, but the line between “simple snoring” and obstructive sleep apnea is often blurry. Simple snoring (also called primary snoring) means you’re creating noise but not experiencing significant breathing disruptions or oxygen drops. However, snoring is the most common symptom of sleep apnea, and many people who think they “just snore” actually have undiagnosed sleep apnea. That’s why diagnostic evaluation is important—we can’t tell the difference just by listening to you describe your snoring.

The short answer: sometimes, but not reliably. Over-the-counter mouthpieces, nasal strips, and “snoring rings” aren’t custom-fitted to your anatomy, so their effectiveness varies widely. Some people get temporary relief; others find them uncomfortable and ineffective. More importantly, if you have actual sleep apnea rather than simple snoring, these devices won’t adequately treat the underlying problem. You might still be experiencing dangerous oxygen drops even if the noise decreases. Custom oral appliances fitted and monitored by a sleep specialist are far more effective and can be adjusted as needed.

Not necessarily. CPAP is the most effective treatment for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, but it’s not the only option. Many patients with mild to moderate sleep apnea, or primary snoring without apnea, do very well with custom oral appliances, lifestyle modifications, or positional therapy. We recommend CPAP when it’s clinically appropriate, but we always discuss all options and work with you to find a treatment you’ll actually use consistently.

This depends on the treatment and severity of your condition. Many patients using oral appliances or CPAP notice improvement within the first few nights. They wake up feeling more refreshed, their partners report quieter sleep, and daytime fatigue begins to lift. However, it can take several weeks for your body to fully recover from chronic sleep deprivation. Cardiovascular benefits (like blood pressure improvement) typically develop over weeks to months of consistent treatment.

Insurance coverage varies significantly depending on your plan and the specific treatment. Most insurance plans, including Medicare, cover sleep apnea diagnosis and treatment when medically necessary. Coverage for oral appliances typically requires a diagnosis of sleep apnea (not just snoring) and documentation that you’ve tried or cannot tolerate CPAP. Our office staff is experienced in working with insurance companies and can help you understand your coverage and any out-of-pocket costs before you begin treatment.

This is more common than you might think. Many patients come to us frustrated after failed attempts with CPAP, uncomfortable oral appliances, or treatments that didn’t address their specific issue. Often, the problem wasn’t the treatment itself but rather poor fit, inadequate follow-up, or using the wrong treatment for the wrong problem. With proper diagnostics and customized treatment, along with ongoing support and adjustments, most patients find a solution that works. We specialize in helping patients who’ve struggled with previous treatments.

Yes, children can snore, and yes, it can be concerning. While occasional snoring during a cold is normal, regular snoring in children often indicates enlarged tonsils or adenoids, allergies, or other airway obstructions. Untreated sleep-disordered breathing in children can affect growth, development, behavior, and academic performance. If your child snores regularly, daytime mouth breathing, has frequent “growing pains,” seems hyperactive, or struggles in school, evaluation by a pediatric sleep specialist is important.

If alcohol is the only trigger and you snore only occasionally after drinking, you may not need medical treatment. Just limiting alcohol before bed might be sufficient. However, alcohol-triggered snoring often indicates that your airway is already narrowed and alcohol is just pushing it over the edge into collapse. Many people who snore “only when drinking” are actually on the borderline of sleep apnea and may develop more persistent snoring as they age or gain weight. A baseline evaluation can help you understand your risk.

The connection is more significant than most people realize. Your jaw position affects your airway space. When your jaw is set too far back, it can narrow the airway and contribute to breathing difficulties during sleep. Many patients with TMJ disorder also have sleep-disordered breathing, and some people develop jaw pain specifically because of airway issues (they’re unconsciously jutting their jaw forward during sleep to open the airway). At Bohon Sleep & TMJ, Dr. Bohon’s expertise in both TMJ and sleep disorders allows him to address both issues comprehensively.

Cost varies widely depending on the type of treatment, your insurance coverage, and whether you need additional diagnostics like a sleep study. While oral appliance therapy is usually covered by insurance with your normal copays and deductibles, each plan is different. We also have options for self-pay, so please talk with us about those options. During your consultation, we’ll discuss all costs upfront so you can make an informed decision about your treatment. We also offer payment plans for patients who need them.

Take the First Step Toward Quieter, Healthier Sleep

You don’t have to accept snoring as a permanent part of life. Whether you’re concerned about your health, desperate for better sleep, or just tired of your partner’s complaints, we can help.

Getting started is simple:

  1. Get Your Sleep Score: This quick assessment gives us the information we need to understand what’s happening while you sleep. 
  2. Schedule Your Consultation: We’ll review your Sleep Score results, conduct a comprehensive evaluation, and discuss your treatment options.
  3. Begin Treatment: Once we’ve identified the root cause of your snoring, Dr. Bohon works with your physician to develop a customized treatment plan designed specifically for your needs.
 

Don’t wait. Every night of untreated snoring and sleep-disordered breathing puts stress on your heart, damages your health, and robs you of the restorative sleep your body needs.

Get Your Sleep Score Now