Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
close window
Housecall Archives
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
close window
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Complications
By Mayo Clinic staffChildren with cleft lip with or without cleft palate face a variety of challenges related to their defect, depending on the type and severity of the cleft:
- Feeding. One of the most immediate concerns after the birth of an infant with cleft lip and cleft palate is feeding, which can be difficult due to inadequate suction, lack of an air-tight latch or nasal regurgitation. Your doctor will discuss feeding strategies with you, such as special bottle nipples, frequent burping and special feeding appliances called obturators.
- Ear infections and hearing loss. Babies with cleft palate are especially susceptible to repeated middle ear infections, which over time can permanently damage hearing. If your child has a cleft palate, it's important for him or her to be evaluated regularly by an audiologist or ear, nose and throat doctor.
- Dental care and tooth development. If the cleft extends through the upper gum, tooth development will likely be affected. A pediatric dentist should monitor your child's tooth development and oral health from an early age.
- Speech and language. Because both the lip and palate are used in forming sounds, the development of normal speech can be affected. A speech pathologist can evaluate your child and provide speech therapy.
- Psychological challenges. Children with clefts are more likely to have social, emotional and behavioral problems due to differences in appearance and family stress. A psychologist and a social worker can help you and your child deal with the stresses your family encounters.
