What is Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate Surgery?

Cleft lip- palate is a congenital abnormality i.e. an abnormality present at birth where the lip, palate, or both are abnormally split leading to functional, developmental, and esthetic disturbances. It may be the result of nutritional deficiencies in the mother, consanguineous marriage of parents, and smoking and alcohol consumption by the mother during pregnancy.

Can it be treated??

Of course yes. Surgery is the only means by which Cleft lip and Palate can be addressed.

At which stage of life is the surgery done?

A Cleft baby may require more than one surgery to manage the secondary deformities associated with Cleft deformity. Following are the primary surgeries:

Secondary surgeries include palatal lengthening procedures, jaw correction surgeries, and rhinoplasty (nose surgery).

A cleft patient may also need speech therapy and orthodontic treatment for correction of speech and teeth alignment respectively

What difficulties does a Cleft patient face?

Feeding a cleft baby is very challenging as the lip and palate are deformed and do not favor conventional breastfeeding techniques. Nutritional deficiencies that affect the overall physical growth are common.

If left untreated the child may develop speech problems. Mal- aligned teeth, under- developed jaws, unaesthetic appearance are some other problems that the child may face through adolescence, which in turn may affect the psychological well- being. Anxiety, social withdrawal and poor self confidence are common in adults.

We believe in a holistic approach towards this deformity.

Our team comprises of an Oral and maxillofacial surgeon, Orthodontists, Pediatricians, Speech therapists, Pedodontists, Prosthodontists, Counsellors and other specialists trained exclusively to deal with Cleft Lip & Palate.

We try our best to address each of these difficulties faced by the patient at every stage of life, with utmost care to get the best functional and esthetic results.