Chicago Dentist - Cleft Lip and Palate

CLEFT LIP AND PALATE

Surgical intervention to repair the cleft lip or palate begins at three months and continues throughout childhood and sometimes into adulthood.

Surgery for a cleft palate, done at 12 to 18 months, brings the edges of the cleft or separation together and creates a seal between the nasal and oral cavities in the region of the hard and soft palate. Its primary goal is to encourage normal speech development.

Some children with cleft palates also have clefts that extend through the alveolar bone. This disturbs the alveolar ridge that supports the teeth. Bone grafts, usually from the hip, done at age 7 to 9 years, provide periodontal support for existing teeth and a path for the eruption of the canine tooth. Before the additional bone grafting, orthodontic treatment usually is done to correct cross bites and align the front teeth. Before, during, and after grafting, orthodontic appliances are worn to prevent the teeth from returning to their original positions. Both the bone grafting and expansion surgery are usually performed under general anesthesia in an operating room.

The normal growth and development of the face and jaws is affected by the cleft and the surgery done to repair the cleft. Subsequent surgery can repair these deformities. Following the correction of the skeletal and dental problems, deformities in the soft tissues, such as those that occur in the lip and nose, can be repaired.

Children with clefts are best managed by teams of professionals, which in addition to surgeons, include pediatricians, neurosurgeons, ophthalmologists, audiologists, speech therapists, geneticists, psychiatrists, psychologists, orthodontists, speech therapists, geneticists, psychiatrists, workers. Although the therapeutic interventions are time consuming, the benefits are great. Children born with disfiguring clefts who have received comprehensive therapy can expect to achieve very acceptable appearance and function.

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