The Cleft Defect in Infants

cleft lip and cleft palates in infants

On average, one in every one thousand babies are born with a defect known as cleft lip and / or palate. A cleft lip is a split that runs through the center of the lips, and may extend into the nostril. A cleft palate can separate the soft and hard tissue of muscles and / or the entire roof of the mouth. A child may be born with any defect or combination.

The cause is not fully understood, although it is believed that certain chemicals or drugs May be a factor. It seems that there is an increased likelihood that a child can be born with the condition if a family member was also born with such defects. Deformation occurs early in pregnancy during the first trimester.

This condition can be very traumatic for parents and child. Special devices are needed for feeding cleft deformity affecting the child's ability to suck properly. Fortunately deformity can be corrected surgically. In the past, when corrective surgery was not an option, cleft lip is even more devastating because the children had no choice but to go through life with his deformity. The simple act of eating and talking are the challenges for children affected by this condition. They have suffered emotionally as well because it was thought to be different and not easily accepted by other children.

Fortunately now, the condition can be corrected and the children no longer have to suffer throughout their lives because of such distortions. Even so, cleft lip and / or palate still requires very little care. Correction of cleft lip and cleft palate requires a team of experts, and continued care after surgery. Depending on the surgeon's assessment of the situation and what is in the best interest of the child's cleft lip surgery can be performed when the child is anywhere from several days to several months. Surgery to correct cleft palate is usually about two years. However, the road to recovery does not end with surgery.

Children with this disease usually require more than one surgery to correct deficiencies and to monitor child progress. Children with this disease usually require the services of an orthodontist to ensure proper alignment and growth of teeth. Taking care of a speech pathologist can be included because there May be a problem with speaking. Speech Classes May be required to ensure that the child develops speech correctly. Children who are older when treatment begins to correct a cleft defect may also be advised by a psychologist who can help with any emotional stress, which may be the result of their condition.

Cleft lip and / or palate no longer be a lifelong condition thanks to the skillful operation. Where this condition is used quite a traumatic experience for parents and children, children can now lead a normal life, without feeling that they are different. They no longer have to carry the emotional stigma that might be caused by the condition of cleft lip or palate. So parents, do not despair. There is help for you and your child

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Cleft Lip and Palate Treatment

Many adults have only barely noticeable scars attest to the fact that they are born with a cleft defect. Children with these defects grow up to lead normal, productive lives.

About half of all clefts involve the lip and palate. In 20% of cases only the lip is involved, the remaining 30% of clefts involving only the palate.

Treatment of cleft lip and palate should ideally include a multidisciplinary team. Increasingly, hospitals have special teams who specialize in caves and can provide treatment in all areas that children with clefts will require as they grow.

The experts who might be involved in your child's care will include surgeons, speech and language therapists, dieticians, audiologists (hearing specialists), dentists, Orthodontists, geneticists, psychologists and specially trained nursing staff. Keeping your child will begin immediately after birth and will continue until the child reaches adulthood.

feeding

Feeding your baby can be difficult immediately after birth, depending on the size and location of a cleft. Your child may have difficulty suckling at the breast or bottle. Specialized equipment is available, including specially designed feeders, nipples, bottles and inserts. Your child's ability to suck will be assessed immediately after birth.

Children with a cleft palate will have to be fed in an upright position. This is because it opens the mouth to allow milk to enter the nasal passage

Hearing and speech

Children with cleft defects may have speech and hearing, as a result of their shortcomings. At some point, your child May have tympanostomy tube is inserted to allow the ear drain properly. This can prevent hearing loss and infection.

Speech problems can be treated by speech language pathologist on an ongoing basis as your child grows, if speech is abnormal.

As a parent of a child with cleft lip or palate (or both) that may be concerned about your child's appearance.

Surgery to repair cleft lip

Surgery to repair a cleft lip can be done 2-3 months of age. Surgeons generally prefer to wait until the patient is at least 10 weeks of age and weighs at least 10 kg. The surgery is performed under general anesthesia and will take about 1-2 hours to perform (in most cases). Your child will probably only be required to remain in hospital for 24 hours. You'll be shown how to care for their child after leaving hospital, including wound care and feeding techniques. Your child will have to be prevented from touching the workplace. Special restrictions may be necessary to use. Such restrictions are not painful and are important to allow proper healing of the page. Your surgeon will discuss it after you in detail before and after surgery.

Sutures will be removed in about 5-7 days, but it will take about 3 weeks to heal sufficiently operational area.

More than one procedure may be needed if the cleft is bilateral (occurring on both sides of the mouth). If another procedure is needed, a second procedure would likely be done several weeks after the first.

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Understanding Cleft Lip and Cleft Palates in Infants

Cleft Lip and Cleft Palates in Infants

Oral clefts are one of the most visually noticeable birth defects in newborns. Although cleft lip or cleft palate is usually just a visual impairment, it can be hard to live a birth defect.

The fourth most newborns in the United States, cleft lip or cleft palate affect one in 750 babies each year, according to Web MD. Children with oral clefts can suffer from the inconvenience, and may also have difficulty speaking and eating cleft lip palate, if left untreated.

It is important that parents understand oral clefts, as they are and what you can do to prevent and treat them.

What is an oral cleft?

Oral cleft lip is a deformity, usually near nose. deformity is true to its name because it resembles a space, gap or indentation in the mouth area. There are several types of oral clefts, including cleft lip, cleft palate or a combination of the two.

Cleft lip, where the child is on oral tissues is not fully connected during development. When a child is born will appear as a gap in the lip. More boys than girls have cleft lip, according to Kids Health. However, more girls than boys cleft palate.

Located on the roof of the mouth behind the teeth, cleft palate, which the child is verbal palate does not close the development gap in letting hard or soft palate, which can vary in length. Sometimes this gap in the palate may expose the underside of the nose and lead to complications of the nose.

A child can have cleft lip and cleft palate, where both the lip and palate have a gap. This occurs when the tissues of the oral and the panel does not connect.

Lips features develop in early fetal growth, usually about eight weeks. This often allows the deformation of the lips to be seen before the baby is born with ultrasound. However, treatment can not begin until after the baby is born.

What can be done about it?

Oral clefts are caused by environmental and genetic factors. Despite this knowledge, there is currently no process in place guaranteed to prevent the development of oral clefts. One suggestion for mothers is to make sure that they are not in any strong medication, especially acne medication. Maintaining a healthy diet is wise as well. However, when the fetus has developed oral clefts, surgery is the most common treatment.

Luckily, medicine has evolved to the point where many oral cleft conditions treatable by surgery. Palatoplasty is a surgical procedure to reconstruct patients with cleft palate the palate. operation is intended to close the abnormal opening between the nose and mouth, as well as helping the patient to develop normal speech and help in swallowing, breathing and normal development of the mouth.

Many of these operations are personalized, like every cleft lip palate is different. The best time for this operation when a child aged six to 12 months of age. This gives them the best possible way to fully recover.

Is surgery the best option?

As explained earlier, all oral clefts are different, so no one can be treated in the same way. In some cases, such as cleft lip less, patients may require a small surgical procedure to strain seems nonexistent. However, in other cases, cleft palate can seriously affect speech and way of life.

Parents who are preparing to have a child with a cleft lip should discuss all available options with your doctor, especially children's surgeon, who can better explain exactly what their child will need

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