Author: Facen Dental

A patient named xyz, 5 days old infant born with bilateral cleft lip and palate was referred to our clinic by a consulting peadiatrician for providing treatment for the above mentioned condition due to which he was having lot of feeding difficulty. Overview of Medical Condition Cleft lip and palate is a condition where a child is born with splits or openings in the roof of the mouth (palate) and the upper lip. This occurs when the tissues that form the lip and palate do not completely fuse during fetal development. Cleft lip and cleft palate are among the most common birth defects. They most commonly occur as isolated birth defects but are also associated with many inherited genetic conditions or syndromes. 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. Treatment usually involves surgical correction, often requiring multiple surgeries over several years. Surgery for cleft lip can be performed when baby is 3 months old and for cleft palate can be done at the age of 10-12 months .Apart from surgery, speech therapy and other interventions to address associated issues like feeding difficulties and speech development. Early intervention and comprehensive care can greatly improve the quality of life for individuals with bilateral cleft palate and cleft lip. Patient was throughly examined by Dr.Prakash Patil, Oral and maxillofacial surgeon (Director-Face and dental international clinic Nigdi). Intraoral and extraoral examination was done. Prenatal and antenatal history of any medication by mother and family medical history of both the parents taken. After counseling baby’s parents and assuring them that with obturator (intraoral appliance to block gaps) baby will be able to take the feed and later can be operated for correction of the defect. Extraoral and intraoral photos were taken for lab as well as future reference. Intraoral impresson of the palate is taken with biocompatible rubber based impression material. Baby and parents were discharged and called next day for receiving the obturator. Impression was sent to Lab for the fabrication of obturator with specifications of the patient. Very next day patient was called and obturator was tried inside babies mouth. Fine adjustments were made and parents were trained to insert and remove it from babys mouth. Parents especially mother was really happy as her baby could have oral feed now onwards. Mother was instructed to clean it properly before every use and also educated to keep babys oral hygiene in check. Regular follow up advised for the progress of baby and for scheduling future corrective surgery. Many similar cases were successfully completed at our hospital. The joy on parents face and babys smile after overall treatment is the biggest gift we receive in return. Team of expert doctors at our hospital under the guidance of Director of Face N Dental hospital; Dr. Prakash Patil who has an immense experience of more than 25 years of handling difficult cases like this as well as implant surgeries, jaw surgeries and complicated dental procedures is proud to serve the society.