A cleft palate and cleft lip are birth defects that materialize during early pregnancy. A cleft in your palate (roof of mouth) or lip means the two sides failed to join together during fetal development, leaving them split to varying degrees.
With this health condition, you could be born with a cleft malformation of your lip, soft palate, hard palate or any combination of all three. And these clefts range from a minor malformation to extensive separation.
What causes a cleft palate or cleft lip is not fully understood, yet most believe a mix of genetic and environmental factors are likely involved. Although not much can be done about the contribution genes make to clefting, correcting these suspected environmental causes might:
- folic acid deficiency
- infections ~ rubella, chickenpox, CMV, syphilis
- toxin, chemical exposure ~ smoking, alcohol, cocaine use
- certain drugs ~ antiepileptics, antidepressants, antibiotics, Accutane acne treamtent, methotrexate (treats cancer, arthritis, psoriasis)
Most of these cleft palate and cleft lip causes are avoidable, so just do what it takes. Also, a cleft palate and lip could be a component of another health condition, for instance Down syndrome.
Being born with a cleft palate and/or cleft lip can present numerous complications, such as:
- hearing loss
- dental problems
- breathing trouble
- problems with speech
- recurring ear infections
- breastfeeding, eating difficulties
Usually these causes for various lifestyle problems can be repaired via oral surgery treatment.
Cleft palate and cleft lip treatment is surgical repair. The extent and number of treatments depend on the severity and location of your cleft. Beyond closing your split palate or lip via surgery, these additional cleft treatments may be required:
- oral supports
- speech therapy
- scar tissue repair
- braces to straighten teeth
- jaw, facial structure realignment
All this cleft palate and cleft lip treatment may take some time to accomplish, but afterwards most are left with a drastically improved appearance, speech ability and eating capability.
Cleft palate and cleft lip prevention recommendations are increase your folic acid intake before becoming pregnant, review drugs you take with your health care provider for possible change upon pregnancy and no smoking nor drinking alcohol during pregnancy.