A cleft palate is a congenital birth condition where there is a separation or split in the palate, which is at the roof of the mouth between the oral and nasal cavities. Cleft palates are often accompanied by a cleft lip, but not always, and children can be born with both, or one or the other. Cleft palates cause a very noticeable and damaging split between the lip and mouth and always require treatment to ensure your child develops and looks normally.
While you can spot a cleft palate while the baby is still in the womb via an ultrasound, treatment must wait until the baby is born. While cleft palates can be frightening for parents and debilitating for children, they are treatable and may not cause permanent defects or problems. However, early and ongoing treatment will be necessary and are absolutely essential.
The only way to repair a cleft palate is with cleft palate surgery. During this procedure, the surgeon will have to rebuild the roof and lip of your child’s mouth. To do this, they typically make incisions on either side of the palate opening and use skin and tissue to fill in the void. They then stitch the opening together using the repurposed parts.
The goal of the surgery is to give your child a normal appearance and to repair any speech or eating problems. While the surgery often causes some scarring, a skilled surgeon can minimize this.
In addition to surgery to repair the cleft palate and/or lip, you may also need additional surgeries to repair more severe mouth problems. Cleft palates can cause severe dental and oral problems, both before and after the palate is repaired.
To remedy this problem, your child may require comprehensive dental surgery. This includes realigning parts of the mouth and jaw, as well as removing dead teeth and installing implants. Children with a cleft palate are also more prone to cavities and other tooth problems and will need ongoing dental care.
In situations where a child has a severe cleft palate, it can affect the auditory canals of the ears. As such, it is important to have your child’s ears checked for potential damage. If they have hearing problems due to auditory canal damage, they will need to be repaired.
Cleft palates can also cause fluid buildup in the middle ear, known as glue ear. Fluid buildup can cause permanent hearing loss, so it is essential to have the middle ear drained with surgery or alternative methods. Your child may also need artificial tubes implanted into the middle ear to prevent future buildup problems.
While surgery is the only way to repair a cleft palate, it will have to wait until your child is at least 6 to 12 months old. In the meantime, and in the time following the surgery, you will need to find alternative ways to feed your baby. In most cases, this means bottle-feeding your child using a bottle equipped with a specially designed nipple. Otherwise, your baby will not be able to latch and will not be able to drink the milk they need to survive.
Most children who have a cleft palate will require speech therapy once they are old enough to talk. Even though the palate is repaired, and potential problems are minimized, the child may still struggle to speak clearly and cohesively. This can only be remedied by a speech therapist.
Cleft palates are a worrisome problem for new parents and can cause developmental delays in children. As such, early surgery and treatment are essential to help your child look and develop as naturally as possible. It may also be necessary for your child to receive counselling as they get older if they have any residual scarring or long-term effects from the cleft palate.