Cleft Palate - A Special Type of Plastic Surgery
This stream of surgery is a fusion of cosmetic surgery and plastic surgery.During early stage of pregnancy the palate and upper lip develops from tissues tying on the two sides of the tongue. Usually the skull and face are formed; these tissues normally grow toward each other joining up in middle portion. When the palate fails to join up a gap is formed in the roof portion of the oral cavity.
Probably this thing happens due to some anomaly in genetic history of the parents, although the recent study has revealed certain drug intake has a close relation to form a baby with problem in Cleft Palate. This problem happens with the neonatal kids and due to the gap it becomes difficult for them to suck milk from either mother’s breast or from feeding bottle. In later period due to the abnormal growth of palate the child face speech problem. Initially the voice gets a nasal tone and there are acute pronunciation problem in the child due to the difficulty in uttering words with the proper movement of tongue and palate.
Due to the problem of muscles of palate the ear becomes partly affected so as hearing capacity is greatly hampered. A tendency to form a glue ear is another problem. So the requirement of surgery is to enhance the beauty as well as to make the child’s life normal this intervention of surgery is required, that is why this stream of surgery is called the fusion of cosmetic and plastic surgery. Sometimes a single operation fits the problem but sometimes a multiple operation is required depending on severity of the palate problem.
The first phase of operation is done after three months age of baby and the second phase is done in its six month of age with the help of general anesthesia. After the operation if a bone gap in the gum is found, it is to be filled with bone graft.