Everyone can recognize smiles as expressions of connection, happiness, and delight. They communicate feelings that words sometimes find difficult to express by spanning language, culture, and distance boundaries. However, for certain cleft palate adults born with cleft palate condition, the road to smiling confidently and entirely is fraught with particular difficulties. This blog will help dispel misconceptions and promote a better comprehension of the mental and emotional changes that might occur when accepting one’s actual self.
What Is A Cleft Palate?
A split or opening in the palate, a congenital disorder, is known as a cleft palate. This split happens due to incomplete fusion of the palate-forming tissue during fetal development. As a result, the mouth has an opening that can run from the rear (near the uvula) to the front (against the lips). The hard palate (the front bony part) or the soft palate (the back part) may be affected by this opening, which can vary in size and severity. A submucous cleft palate is characterized by a covert split in the palate’s underlying muscle and tissue, which may impact speech and nutrition.
Cleft lips, with an opening or gap in the upper lip, can occur alone or in conjunction with cleft palates. Depending on the severity of the problem, cleft palate, and cleft lip can affect a person’s ability to speak, eat and perhaps even breathe normally. Cleft lip ultrasound can sometimes detect cleft lip in utero, allowing for early preparation and medical planning. A cleft palate can range in severity from a minor opening requiring little treatment to a larger, more complicated opening requiring several procedures and continuous care.
What Causes Cleft Palate?
Various elements may play a role in the emergence of this condition:
- Genetic Factors: The occurrence of cleft palate is significantly influenced by family history. A child is more likely to be born with a cleft palate if one of their parents or siblings does. The risk of cleft palate is thought to be influenced by particular genes that regulate the development of the face and palate.
- Environmental Conditions: Prenatal exposure to specific environmental conditions and chemicals can increase cleft palate risk. Cleft palate formation has been linked to maternal variables like smoking, drinking alcohol, using certain drugs, and receiving poor nutrition during pregnancy.
- Folic Acid Deficiency: For healthy fetal development during pregnancy, enough folic acid intake is essential. Inadequate folic acid consumption has been linked to cleft palate and other congenital abnormalities.
- Multifactorial Inheritance: Cleft palates frequently occur from the interaction of numerous genetic and environmental variables, known as multifactorial inheritance. It’s not necessarily a simple genetic inheritance pattern, as several variables may interact to affect how the ailment manifests.
- Chromosomal Discordances: Some chromosomal discordances, especially those connected to syndromes like Down syndrome or the Pierre Robin sequence, have been related to a higher likelihood of developing a cleft palate.
Cleft Palate Symptoms
The following are some common signs and problems related to cleft palate:
- Having trouble sucking and swallowing throughout infancy due to a compromised capacity to close the mouth.
- Speaking problems, such as nasal speaking and disorder pronouncing specific sounds.
- Due to the relationship between the middle ear and a cleft palate, there is an elevated risk of ear infections and hearing issues.
- Potentially impacting tooth alignment and jaw growth are dental and orthodontic problems.
- In severe circumstances, respiratory issues might prevent a person from adequately breathing via their nose.
- Aesthetic matters, with the appearance of the face being affected by apparent gaps in the upper palate.
- Impact on the social and psychological system that could compromise one’s self-worth and self-image.
- Numerous operations and continuing medical care are required to resolve functional and aesthetic issues.
How To Prevent Cleft Lip And Palate During Pregnancy?
Maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle to reduce the risk of cleft lip and palate during pregnancy, especially by getting enough folic acid. Avoid using some drugs, smoking, and alcohol. Seek early prenatal care and genetic counseling if there is a family history of the illness. Although prevention cannot be guaranteed, these steps help support a healthier pregnancy.
Cleft Palate Repair
A surgical technique known as cleft palate repair seeks to fix the opening in the mouth’s roof that results from a cleft palate. The cleft palate surgery is often performed when the infant is a few months old.
The surgical repair of cleft palate process:
1. Anesthesia: General anesthesia is used to ensure that the baby is asleep and pain-free throughout the process.
2. Incisions: To reach the tissue and muscles underneath, the surgeon makes incisions on both sides of the cleft palate.
3. Closure of Tissue: The tissue on either side is carefully moved and sutured together to close the split. To enhance function, muscles are also sewn and relocated.
4. Soft Palate Repair: During the same procedure, the soft palate (the back of the mouth) is mended if damaged.
5. Dissolvable Stitches: Dissolvable stitches seal the wounds after the tissue is sutured.
6. Recovery and Healing: The young patient could require a brief hospital stay following surgery for monitoring. Following surgery, there is a time of healing and recovery during which the surgical site needs to be guarded and kept tidy.
7. Follow-up Attention: Regular follow-up visits are necessary to guarantee adequate healing, track the child’s progress, and treat any issues.
8. Speech Therapy: Following recovery, speech therapy may be suggested to aid in the child’s development of appropriate communication and speaking skills.
9. Potential Further Operations: Additional operations may be necessary as the kid develops to enhance speech, dental alignment, and overall function, depending on the severity of the cleft palate and the child’s needs.
To know more about the cleft palate treatment procedures, contact our medical experts in Istanbul!
Liv Hospital Offering A Complete Cleft Palate Treatment
Liv Hospital stands out for people seeking cleft palate therapy due to its dedication to global quality in healthcare. Liv Hospital, which stands for “Leading International Vision,” is committed to influencing the future of healthcare. It operates a network of 7 hospitals in Turkey. Talk to our experts to have an idea about cleft palate treatment prices in Turkey 2023!