Cleft Palate Hole In Roof Of Mouth

This information sheet from great ormond street hospital gosh explains the symptoms causes and treatment of cleft palate and where to get help.

Cleft palate hole in roof of mouth.

A cleft is a hole or gap affecting the tissues in the palate roof of the mouth. The hole in the roof of the mouth caused by a cleft connects the mouth directly to the inside of the nose. Cleft palate is a hole in the roof of the mouth that is present at birth. This leaves a hole between the nose and the mouth.

In simpler terms a palatal obturator covers any fistulas or holes in the roof of the mouth that lead to the nasal cavity providing the wearer with a plastic acrylic removable roof of the mouth which aids in speech eating and proper air flow. Sometimes the two sides do not fuse correctly leaving an opening or cleft in the palate. Early in the development of the baby inside the mother the left and right sides of the face and the roof of the mouth join together or fuse. When cleft palate occurs the uvula is usually split.

When i tell people about my cleft palate they look at my now flawless grin with awe and say wow i would have never known i laugh politely. A palatal obturator may be used in cases of a deficiency in tissue when a remaining opening in the palate occurs. The size of the cleft palate varies from child to child some children may only have a tiny notch whereas in others the cleft may stretch from the front of the mouth to the back. It occurs due to the failure of fusion of the lateral palatine processes the nasal septum or the median palatine processes formation of the secondary palate.