What You Need to Know About Cleft Palate

May 11, 2010

Any birth defect is challenging and overwhelming for both the child and the parents. There is a lot of worry, questions, and frustration. The good news is that cleft palate is a very treatable condition. Most people don’t realize just how common cleft palate actually is even in the USA. My Burbank Dentist said nearly 1 in 700 newborns is born with cleft palate. This makes it the 4th most common birth defect in the country. The best thing any parent can do is love their child and get the facts about this disorder and make an action plan. With proper information you will be able to see the bright side and take proper action.

Most parents wonder how this happened and what caused the birth defect. That is a question that no one not even your doctor and answer fully. It appears that cleft palate is a combination of both environmental and genetic events. If you have family history of this condition odds are your child will also have it. It runs in families. There are also a few environmental triggers that have been proven to increase the risk. Taking certain medications while pregnant (anti-seizer, accutane, cancer drugs), exposure to radiation or viruses, consuming alcohol smoking or using illegal drugs during pregnancy. To limit your baby’s risk keep yourself as healthy as possible before and during pregnancy.

Due to the extreme nature of the birth defect it will require a team of specialized health professionals working together to help your child. Besides the obvious doctor and oral surgeon, the services and skills of dentist, speech pathologists, otolaryngologist (an hear and throat doctor) an audiologist and more. Together these specialist will be able to help your child completely overcome the side effects of this birth defect. By their early teens most will have only some minor scarring and go on to have a normal healthy life. Learn more about this and other oral health conditions at BestBurbankDentist.com.

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