Is cleft palate surgery painful?
Some pain is normal after palate repair. Your surgeon and medical team will work together to achieve the best pain control possible, but your child may still experience discomfort. For pain, your child may be prescribed a medicine called either Oxycodone or Lortab.
How successful is cleft palate surgery?
Most kids with cleft palate are treated successfully with no lasting problems. A team experienced in treating children with cleft lip and palate can create a treatment plan tailored to your child’s needs.
What can you do after cleft palate surgery?
Directions for Post-Operative Care: Following Cleft Palate Repair
- Feed your child carefully using a cup or the side of a spoon to drop fluids and food into the mouth. …
- After each feeding, give your child water to drink, to rinse the surgical area and to keep it clean.
- Do not give any hot food or hot fluids.
Which is the best time to surgical repair of cleft palate?
Palate repair surgery is usually done when your baby is 6 to 12 months old. The gap in the roof of the mouth is closed and the muscles and the lining of the palate are rearranged. The wound is closed with dissolvable stitches. The operation usually takes about 2 hours and is done using a general anaesthetic.
How many surgeries does it take to fix a cleft palate?
At the minimum, one surgery is needed to repair the lip and a separate surgery is needed to repair the palate. However, several surgeries are needed to make the lip appear as normal as possible. And sometimes additional surgeries involving the palate are needed to improve speech.
Is having a cleft palate a disability?
Most children born with orofacial clefts who qualify for SSI will do so under this category. Benefits are usually granted to children who demonstrate a “marked limitation in speech or language” or a “medically determinable impairment that causes hearing loss.”
What is the main cause of cleft palate?
Causes and Risk Factors
Cleft lip and cleft palate are thought to be caused by a combination of genes and other factors, such as things the mother comes in contact with in her environment, or what the mother eats or drinks, or certain medications she uses during pregnancy.
What is the surgery for cleft palate?
A cleft palate usually is repaired with surgery called palatoplasty (PAL-eh-tuh-plass-tee) when the baby is 10–12 months old. The goals of palatoplasty are to: Close the opening between the nose and mouth. Help create a palate that works well for speech.
Can cleft palate be corrected?
Having a baby born with a cleft can be upsetting, but cleft lip and cleft palate can be corrected. In most babies, a series of surgeries can restore normal function and achieve a more normal appearance with minimal scarring.22 мая 2018 г.
How long does it take to heal from cleft palate surgery?
Most children are back to their usual behaviour about a week after surgery. It usually takes about 3 to 4 weeks for the incision to heal. Your child may need to wear padded arm restraints for 1 to 2 weeks after surgery to prevent him or her from rubbing the surgery area.
What can you eat after cleft palate surgery?
It is OK to resume soft foods one week after surgery. This includes soft cooked fruits and vegetables, noodles, cereal soaked in milk, bananas, etc. Use only a soft spoon and do not allow the spoon to enter deep into the mouth. No hard food is allowed for 6 weeks after surgery.
How long is cleft lip surgery?
A cleft lip repair usually takes between 2 and 3 hours. Your doctor will talk to you as soon as the surgery is over. Your child will wake up in the recovery room after surgery. This may take 45 minutes to an hour.
Why do they remove cleft lips at 3 months?
Given these developments, we question whether a delay in repair until 3–6 months of age is still necessary. Early cleft lip repair may provide additional benefits such as improved appearance of surgical scars, accelerated weight gain from ease of feeding, and heightened maternal-infant socialization.
Does a cleft palate affect speech?
Children with a cleft that affects their soft palate (the part towards the back of the throat) may have problems with speech that include sounding nasal. This is caused by the soft palate not being able to properly close off the mouth from the nose while speaking and therefore letting air escape through the nose.