Cleft Lip

There are a number of possible types of these births. These include thoracopagus, the most common, affecting 35% of all conjoined twin births, where the chest wall is shared, and often the heart. Pygopagus is another type, occurring in 19% of all cases, where the twins are joined at the buttocks. Two significantly less occurring patterns are ischiopagus, 6%, connected at the tailbone, and craniopagus, 2%, with a fused skull. Some other commonly occuring types include cephalopagus, with the upper torso and back of the cranium fused, and dicephalus, having two heads and necks connected to one body. Cephalopagus and craniopagus twins are rarely operated on, because the brain is such a delicate organ on which to operate, especially when shared brain tissue is involved. Other types include parapagus, a lateral fusion of the lower half of the body, and omphalopagus, joined frontally at the midsection. Finally there is parasitic twinning, where one twin is dependant upon the other for life, and often one is misformed, lacking organs or fully formed parts (www.twinstuff.com).

In addition to this it usually happens between 6 to 9 weeks of pregnancy. The final fact about cleft palates is that most of them can lead to ear infections. Another fact about cleft palates each year two thousand six hundred fifty children are born with a cleft palate. Lastly surgeries for a cleft palate are recommended at 18

The cleft needs to be repaired (through surgical interventions like palatoplasty) because it’s extremely important for feeding and swallowing, as well as speech. Similar to sleep, without sufficient nutrition, an individual will not be able to fully develop. A lack of sufficient nutrition will affect an individual’s cognitive ability, as well as their physical health. This is why surgical intervention is such a critical component of the process and one of the steps that is completed earlier on in the process. In addition to cleft palates, velopharyngeal insufficiency is a common symptom for about forty percent of individuals with TCS, and is often related to a cleft palate. Velopharyngeal insufficiency can be related to issues with breathing and feeding. It is also related to articulation problems and hypernasality. The articulation issues are likely due to the lack of ability to build pressure and without pressure consonants are altered (Goorhuis-Brouwer & Priester, 2008,

One in every 5,000 new borns can inherit this disease that is characterized by harelip, cleft palate, severe defects to of the eyes, brain and circulatory system. Some affected newborns will die within a year.

genes out of 100,000 that make up who we are. This is caused by the genes

Cleft palate is a birth defect that occurs when the roof of the baby’s mouth does not form properly. The tissue that makes up the roof of the mouth does not form completely. This can happen both front and back of the palate or only part of the palate is open. (CDC)

Numerous events and people throughout my life have enlightened me, challenged me and prepared me for my role in life. Some of these events are my cleft palate surgery and the recovery process, along with the therapy for the cleft and the motivation from others in the assistance through those rough times to push me to be better and able to speak to be be understood. The cleft palate is, usually, a birth defect found at birth. Unfortunately, mine was found later in life, at the age of five. Hardships in my life I have experienced are the passing of loved ones and the interchanging of friends. Nevertheless, friends and family came through in the end by encouraging me through tough times “Things do not happen. Things are made to happen.” - John F. Kennedy.

A three year-old boy was born with facial deformities as the result of a prenatal complication. He was born with a hole in his face, which was where his nose was supposed to be. He was also born without an upper jaw and eyes. The little boy, whose name is Yahya, was shielded from other people by his parents.

According to the American Association of Orthodontists, children who may need dental braces should be assessed at the age of around seven years. Orthodontists are trained to assess and predict how the jaw will develop in later years. Hence, if an orthodontist can identify a potential problem and intervene at an early age, it helps a lot in reducing the degree of damage or necessity of substantial procedures in rectifying the jaw problems later on. Orthodontists are used to seeing patients with crooked teeth every day, and hence have more experience in straightening teeth than general dentists.

Scientists have researched into the subject of CLP or cleft lip/ pallet. Their studies have shown that in the United States of America, roughly 2,650 babies were born with cleft lip and roughly 4,440 babies were born with the cleft pallet with in the last year. 1/700 babies are affected by this particular genetic disorder. (C. Murray) However, having this disorder does not make you more likely to have another disorder. With numbers so high, that leaves the question of what is a cleft lip/ pallet. When a baby is developing, the face forms from either side of the head meeting together at the center of the face. Cleft lip/ pallet happens when the two ends of facial tissue don’t meet together before the baby is born. This genetic disorder is very common but not fatal. (C. Murray)

Congenital abnormalities occur during a fetus’s development before birth. In the United States, about three to four percent of babies are born with some sort of congenital abnormality. Spina bifida is the most common congenital abnormality, occurring in about one in every one thousand births. Spina bifida happens when the spinal bones do not close properly during formation. Spina bifida can be seen in a newborn by a small sac located on the spine. Surgery must be done within the first few days of the infant’s life in order to remove the sac. The sac contains spinal fluid and damaged nerves, but little can be done to repair the damaged nerves.

Individuals with cleft palate may experience secondary disorders such as feeding and suckling difficulties in infancy, facial deformities, hypernasality, and difficulty maintaining sufficient intraoral pressure to properly produce pressure consonants. These problems can occur at multiple stages as a child grows into adolescence and young

Most scientists believe clefts are due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors. There appears to be a greater chance of clefting in a newborn id a sibling, parent or relatives has had the problem.

Firstly, according to Dr. Wenghoefer “molecular defects generate failure in the genetic program, inducing the separation of midline structures within the embryonic prosencephalon” (The Cleft Palate Craniofacial Journal). The developmental separation defects have been classified in three groups, so they can be distinguished. They are classified as most severe, partial, and particularly. Those three groups are called lobar,

According to MedicineNet, “cleft lip is an opening extending through the upper lip. It may be in the midline, left, or right side of the lip. A cleft palate is an opening of the hard palate or the soft palate. Similar to a cleft lip, a cleft palate may be midline or to either right of left side of the palate. A cleft palate may extend from the upper jawbone to the rear of the throat. Since development of the lip and palate occur at different times during gestation, an infant may have either a cleft lip or cleft palate or clefting of both regions.”