Cleft Palate Surgery and Cleft Lip Surgeryin Knoxville

A cleft lip, cleft palate, or both, can be devastating news to a new parent.  Fortunately, clefts of the lip and palate are conditions that can be treated with early surgery in order to minimize any long-term functional or cosmetic defect.

Cleft lip and palate are estimated to occur in approximately 1:1000 births in the United States, but this can vary depending on ethnicity and other genetic factors. There are a number of important issues to consider in taking care of children born with cleft lip and/or cleft palate.

1. Feeding: Children with clefts can have difficulty sucking and may need bottles with special nipples in order to eat. These are not difficult to learn to use, and most parents pick up on the feeding technique very quickly.
2. Weight Gain: This typically goes along with feeding, but it is important that your child’s weight gain is closely monitored by Dr. Hall and your pediatrician for the first few weeks of life to ensure they are progressing normally.
3. Ear Infections: The muscles of the soft palate help the ear’s natural drainage tubes function correctly; when they are abnormally positioned, the ear will not drainMost children with cleft palate will need ear tubes placed at the time of their palate surgery. Dr. Hall works closely with a number of pediatric ear-nose-and-throat surgeons and will coordinate the surgeries.
4. Speech Development: After a Knoxville cleft palate surgery, your child will need to be evaluated by an experienced speech pathologist as he/she begins. This can help identify problems with speech early and allow Dr. Hall to correct them with a secondary procedure on the back of the palate.