Cleft lip and palate deformities are unfortunately more common in this part of the world. The deformities pose problems of sucking and feeding in babies and affects speech and hearing development in the growing child. The cosmetic and deformity worsens as the child grows and has to be corrected at different stages.
Cleft Patients have a flat nasal bridge and depressed middle part of the face:
Primary Repair of Cleft Lip & Palate
Cleft correction will usually involve multiple surgical operations such as primary lip and palate repair, alveolar bone grafting, lefort 1 advancement surgery and cheilorhinoplasty at different stages to correct the multiple deformities. Alveolar Bone Grafting Procedure
Alveolar Bone Grafting Procedure
Dental malocclusion will require alveolar bone grafting, usually taken from the hip, to prepare for eruption of permanent teeth.
Adult Cleft Correction and Dental Implant
The cleft patient will often require further corrective surgery such as advancement lefort 1 osteotomy and cheilorhinoplasty to enhance the facial appearance. Dental Implant may then be placed by the specialist surgeon to finally correct the dental deformity.
Lefort I Upper Jaw Advancement
Simply advancing the upper jaw could result in a drastic enhancement of facial appearance with increased support for the base of the nose. Further cheilorhinoplasty can then be done to fine tune the appearance. Paranasal implants can be placed to flattened midface to enhance appearance.
Dental Implant placed at the cleft site after alveolar bone grafting surgery
Cheilorhinoplasty
Patients with cleft lip will have a collapsed lateral cartilage with nasal deformity. Collapsed nose can be surgically corrected with cartilage taken behind the ear or an artificial graft. The lip is often shortened and can be revised subsequently or at the same time.