What problems are associated with cleft lip and/or cleft palate?
- Eating problems: With a separation or opening in the palate, food and liquids can pass from the mouth back through the nose. Usually, babies quickly learn how to eat and feeding is not a problem.
- Ear infections and hearing loss: Children with cleft palate are at increased risk of ear infections since they are more prone to fluid buildup in the middle ear. If they are not treated, ear infections can cause hearing loss.
- Speech problems: Children with cleft palate may also have trouble speaking. These children’s voices don’t carry well, the voice may take on a nasal sound, and the speech may be difficult to understand after palate repair. Not all children have these problems, and surgery may fix these problems entirely.
- Dental problems: Children with clefts are prone to many dental problems, including:
- A greater number of cavities;
- Missing, extra, malformed or displaced teeth that need to be treated.
- A defect of the alveolar ridge, the bony upper gum that contains the teeth. A defect in the alveolus can: displace, tip, or rotate permanent teeth; prevent permanent teeth from appearing; prevent the alveolar ridge from forming; and, cause premature loss of erupting canine and incisor teeth.
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