Cleft Lip Palate Treatment, Cost and Recovery of Cleft Lip
Our skull is made up of many different bones which are supposed to fuse together starting before birth and finishing within the first year following the birth. Just like the bones need to fuse together, so do the sides of the lips but in about one out of every eight hundred children are born without the two sides of the lip coming together completely. When this happens, it is referred to as having a cleft lip and this can be a disabling birth defect which can cause issues with the infant’s ability to feed as well as their ability to speak and breath.
Furthermore, in some even more rare cases, the bones in the top of the mouth known as the palate do not fuse together completely resulting in a cleft palate which creates a passageway between the mouth and the nasal passages. This cleft palate can further make feeding an infant next to impossible and in some cases can be considered a life threatening birth defect.
It is very important that if a child is born with these defects, that you have them taken care of as soon as possible after birth. Luckily though, many hospitals around the world realize this and as soon as a child is born with either or both defects, they will immediately assemble a specialized team of doctors to help prepare and complete the repair.
In the event this was not fixed at birth, it is still important to seek the advice of one of these teams of specialists as soon as possible. These teams will usually consist of a plastic surgeon, dentist, speech and language specialist, pediatrician, ear-nose-throat specialist, social worker, hearing specialist, psychologist, genetic counselor as well as a nurse or two.
Luckily if you have insurance, the costs of this procedure will be covered by the insurance company. Furthermore, even if you do not have insurance, there are many organizations out there like Project Smiles who will cover the expenses of the cleft surgeries. There is no reason why any child or adult should continue on with a cleft lip or palate for the simple fact that it can be repaired and in most cases at absolutely no cost to you. Fixing a cleft lip or palate can help better your emotional well being as well as making it easier to communicate with those around you.
