An Introduction to Cleft Lips and Palates

Cleft lips and palates are among the most common birth defects affecting newborns. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that approximately 1 in 1,600 infants is born with a cleft lip with cleft palate, and approximately 1 in 2,800 infants are born with a cleft lip without a cleft palate. Physicians, dentists and orthodontists experienced with cleft lip/palate near you can support families with one of these children. 

A cleft lip or palate may be an isolated birth defect or, in some cases, may be the result of an inherited condition or medical syndrome. Every parent wants their infants to be born free of medical challenges and concerns, but with appropriate support from a physician or pediatrician and orthodontist in NE Calgary, cleft lips and palates can be corrected through a series of surgeries to restore normal function, a more typical appearance and minimal scarring. The family should, as the child develops, engage a dentist who provides cleft lip and palate orthodontics near you. 

Parents of a newborn with a cleft lip/palate in NE Calgary should consult thoroughly with a physician, pediatrician and orthodontist near you whom you trust and who is familiar with your infant’s medical condition. By all means, do research of your own — including by reading this very article — but be sure to consult with experienced medical professionals who will guide your family through the decisions to be made and procedures to come.

How to recognize a cleft lip or palate

You can usually recognize when an infant is experiencing a cleft lip/palate in NE Calgary at a glance. In the most common cases, cleft lips and palates present in one of the following ways:

●     A split in the lip (cleft lip) and/or palate (cleft palate) that affects one (a unilateral cleft lip/palate) or both sides (bilateral cleft lip/palate) of your infant’s face

●     The split may appear as a small notch in her lip or that extends from her lip through her upper gums and palate into the bottom of her nose

●     A split in the roof of her mouth that doesn’t affect the appearance of her face

In other situations, the cleft palate may not be apparent from an external glance. In those cases, the cleft may only exist in the muscles of your infant’s soft palate at the back of her mouth and covered by the lining in your infant’s mouth. In those cases when the cleft is not visible, parents may not become aware of it until some of the following symptoms emerge:

● Problems with breastfeeding

● Problems swallowing

● Liquids or foods your infant is eating seeming to come out her nose

● A speaking voice with a nasal tone

● If your infant experiences chronic ear infections

What are the causes and risk factors for developing a cleft lip or palate?

Cleft lips and/or palates occur when tissues in your infant’s face and mouth don’t fuse properly during development, something that typically occurs during the second and third month of pregnancy. Many families never discover the specific cause of their infant’s clefts, and interactions between genetic and environmental factors are often assumed to be involved. Risk factors for the development of cleft lips and/or palates include: a family history of the same conditions; if the mother smokes, drinks alcohol or takes medications during pregnancy; if the mother has a diabetes diagnosis before pregnancy; and infants born to obese mothers.

Your pediatrician and physician will explain the surgical options for treating your infant’s cleft lip/palate. Following surgery and during your infant’s development, she may experience additional challenges with dental development. Be sure to engage a pediatric dentist with experience in cleft lip and palate orthodontics in NE Calgary. 



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