What Causes Cleft Lip and Palate

• genetics
• exposure of the mother to chemicals or viruses, or not getting enough nutrients, during pregnancy, which affects the baby
• smoking or drinking alcohol during pregnancy
• diabetes or obesity in the pregnant mother

Features of Cleft Lip and Palate

• the upper lip does not close fully, leaving a visible gap or notch
• a gap in the roof of the mouth
• difficulty eating because the mouth does not close fully
• unclear or slow speech, or a nasal sound when speaking
• in some people, effects on hearing or long-term ear infections

Cleft lip and palate can be treated with surgery in childhood, or corrected in adulthood with surgery and rhinoplasty. The surgeon diagnoses and assesses the condition in detail according to how severe the nose abnormality is. If treatment can be combined with rhinoplasty and reshaping, the surgeon may recommend doing the rhinoplasty and the treatment in a single operation.

A severely abnormal nose shape, such as:

• a clearly tilted nasal structure that is not level at all
• nostrils that are clearly different in size
• a markedly deviated septum that damages the nasal structure

In cases like this, the surgeon may need to assess structural rhinoplasty and rebuild the structure with rib cartilage to reconstruct the alar cartilages (septum).

To treat cleft lip and palate, the surgeon repairs the lip and palate and reshapes the nose and lips into a better shape.

S45 Original surgery for cleft lip and palate combined with rhinoplasty

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• Rebuilds the nasal base and structure, repositions tissue and straightens a crooked septum to make breathing easier.
• Refines the tip so it is in proportion with the face.
• Raises the bridge with a material the surgeon assesses as suitable for you, such as silicone or cartilage.

Read more: Nose reshaping for complex cases, including cleft lip and palate

This Reshaping Case, Cleft Lip and Palate From Birth

This caused an uneven nasal base and nostrils at different heights, because the nose and lip structures were uneven, as well as a deviated septum and a clearly visible scar on the lip.

S45 Original by Dr. Ty (นายแพทย์กิตติศักดิ์ วงค์เทียนชัย, ว.35602), reshaping difficult noses
with a damaged nasal structure, a misshapen nose or a nasal infection

<p>The post Cleft Lip Revision Surgery, Restore and Refine Before Rhinoplasty first appeared on s45 clinic.</p>

Besides surgery, some people may need medical devices to adjust the position of the lips, nose and palate. Some also need braces and jaw surgery so the teeth bite together properly. Treatment depends on the doctor’s assessment.

Cleft lip and palate causes clearly visible abnormalities, such as a gap in the lip, palate or nose, which affect the shape of the face. In some people the signs are not obvious, but they have unclear speech, difficulty swallowing, a muffled voice in the ears and ear infections.

What Causes Cleft Lip and Palate?

Cleft lip and palate (cleft lip and cleft palate) is caused by genetic factors or abnormal chromosomes, so it is present from birth. In Thailand, 700 to 800 people are born with it each year. It can also be caused by poor nutrition during the first 3 months of pregnancy, side effects of some medicines and infections. Cleft lip and palate can be treated if it is corrected and repaired at each stage of treatment from childhood.

Levels of Cleft Lip and Palate

• a gap on one side of the lip
• gaps on both the left and right sides of the lip
• a gap in the middle of the lip

Risk Factors for Cleft Lip and Palate

• genetics
• smoking or drinking alcohol during pregnancy
• diabetes in the mother before pregnancy
• obesity during pregnancy

Can Plastic Surgery Correct Cleft Lip and Palate?

With current medical technology, people with cleft lip and palate can have surgery to correct it. Surgery can repair the gap in the lip so it is filled and closer to a typical shape, repair the cleft palate, operate on the ear tubes and reshape the face to be more symmetrical.

Nose surgery to correct cleft lip and palate reshapes crooked, distorted cartilage in the nose and inside the nasal cavity (depending on each person’s condition). The treatment uses rib cartilage for rhinoplasty, so it is a technique that relies on the surgeon’s experience to make the nose balanced on both sides and suit the face.

A Cleft Lip and Palate Correction Case by Dr. Ty at S45 Clinic

In this case, the patient had a deviated septum, difficulty breathing and uneven nostrils. Dr. Ty (นายแพทย์กิตติศักดิ์ วงค์เทียนชัย, ว.35602) at S45 Clinic chose structural rhinoplasty with septal extension to help make breathing easier and to shape the nose to suit the face and be more symmetrical.

“In the first 3 days after surgery, I started to feel I could breathe more easily”
A patient who had rhinoplasty with Dr. Ty at S45 Clinic

Consult the Surgeon About Cleft Lip and Palate Correction

<p>The post How Is Cleft Lip and Palate Corrected? first appeared on s45 clinic.</p>