A cleft lip is an abnormality of mouth and lip from birth and occurs during an early stage of pregnancy during fetal development when the lip and roof of the mouth do not fuse together as they have to. Boys are more prone to cleft lip in comparison to girls. In this condition, the roof of the child’s mouth does not close completely, and that leaves an opening that can also extend to nasal activity. The degree of the condition can vary from mild to severe. There are many names given to the condition as per the location and lip involvement in the cleft lip.
The main aim of cleft lip surgery is to repair the separation of the lip and is done between three to six months of age. Throughout the first few months, your child is continuously monitored in terms of adequate weight as well as nutrition and to ensure that there will be no issues in terms of breathing while eating. In many cases having the cleft lip, the issue can be prepared within the initial months, and your child’s surgeon totally takes the decision. In a few cases, a second surgery is required. It is considered as the complicated surgery and is performed when the child can tolerate it. The main aim of the operation is to fix the roof of the mouth so that your kid can eat and talk normally. There are three common kinds of cleft-lip listed below:
- Cleft lip without a cleft palate
- Cleft palate without a cleft lip
- Cleft lip and cleft palate together
Causes of cleft lip
The leading cause of cleft lip is still unknown as it could be caused because of multiple genes which may be inherited from both the parents and environmental factors. the symptoms of this condition are easily recognizable during the thorough first check-up of the infant ‘s physician. The degree of abnormality can vary as per the child.
Problems linked with cleft lip
There are many problems faced by the child having a cleft lip . some are listed below:
- Feeding problems like infants cannot suck;
milk goes into a nasal way. - Kid
face teething problems like missing teeth, cavities, malnutrition of teeth. - Kids can face speech problems like nasal
voice, development of nodules, the proper pronunciation of words - Ear infection as cleft lip are prone to middle
ear infection. - Kids can face hearing loss
- Pysicilogial problems like-sounding different
After cleft lip surgery
It is normal for your child to feel irritated after surgery. The surgeon often prescribes medications to help with healing. Stitches usually dissolve on their own, but sometimes the surgeon must remove them five to seven days after surgery. The surgeon will explain your child’s condition and describe how your child may feel or react after the cleft lip surgery. He/she will also let you know how to feed your child properly following the operation. The scar will gradually fade but will not disappear completely. After surgery, your child will have stitches on the upper lip and nose. Swelling, bleeding, or bruising around the stitches is normal.
Cleft lip surgery cost in India
Cleft lip Surgery cost in India ranges between USD 2200 to USD 3000. The success rates of cleft lip surgery in India is 99 percent. Below are top doctors for cleft lip surgery treatment in India :
- Dr K Ramachandran having 30 years of
experience - Dr Charu Sharma has 15 years of experience
- Dr A. Sivakumar having 24 years of experience
- Dr Kannan Prema having 14 years of experience
Diet and activity after cleft lip surgery
After surgery, the surgeon will allow you to breastfeed, bottle-feed, or cup-feed your child. Your child will follow a soft diet for about ten days. For older infants and children, the surgeon will allow age-appropriate soft foods such as yogurt, mashed potatoes, and gelatin. Your child can play and walk calmly but should avoid running or rough play.
The surgeon will advise you to take care of your child and will let you know when your child plays as per their daily routine.