| What Are the Difficulties With a Cleft Lip or Cleft Palate? |
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| Depending on the severity, a cleft lip or palate can cause severe consequences for a child’s ability to speak, breathe, eat and as they grow older may also cause psychological problems. |
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| What is the Treatment Plan for Cleft Lip or Cleft Palate? |
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| Cleft lip and palate surgery can significantly improve your child’s facial appearance, ability to eat, breathe, speak and the defect can be corrected early on in their childhood. |
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A cleft lip is a relatively simple surgical procedure to close the gap in the upper lip, performed usually on a baby soon after birth (3-4 months).
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| Surgery to repair a cleft palate is usually carried out when the child is 12 -18 months old. |
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Bone graft surgery to repair the alveolar portion of the cleft is carried out at age 6-11, and usually precedes the eruption of the permanent canine teeth. It may be necessary and appropriate for the child to undergo orthodontics (braces) prior to this procedure.
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Children with cleft lips and or palates often require multiple surgeries following their initial repair. These can include scar revisions, pharyngeal flaps (to aid in speech improvement), rhinoplasty (nose surgery to correct deformities associated with the cleft), and corrective jaw surgery to accommodate jaw size discrepancies that form as a result of the cleft and scar tissue formed over time.
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Treatment of your child’s cleft requires a team approach of several professionals to achieve the optimal results. Dr’s Clark and Warren will work closely with a cleft team usually consisting of a speech pathologist, audiologist, otolaryngologist, orthodontist, and pediatrician.
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