It's not easy to figure out how old is too old for cleft palate surgery. There are a few things to think about. During the first three weeks after having surgery, your child should not eat solid food at all. In place of that, they should eat only soft foods that don't have any chunks, pieces, or bits in them. According to Grace Bagatsing it's better for your child to eat soft foods like yogurt, mashed potatoes, or gelatin. He or she can drink water from a bottle or a soft sippy cup while this is going on.
Before your child's cleft is repaired, the more likely he or she is to get better faster. During the recovery process, the speech development won't be slowed down. If the patient has surgery when he or she is two, the patient will remember it much less. Young children who do not have cleft palates may also be able to keep up with their normal feeding habits more easily when they have early surgery. If your child needs more surgery in the future, the plastic surgeon will talk to you about what you can do and answer any questions you might have.
If your child has a cleft, he or she may have a lot of teeth that aren't in the right place or aren't straight. It might not have a tooth, or it might have one that isn't there. It will be important for you to keep an eye on your child's teeth. The pediatric dentist may offer orthodontic treatment to help the teeth line up better. This may be done before the bone graft. There may be a need for dental braces or other dental tools for the patient.
Grace Bagatsing believes that the age of palatal closure is important to think about in addition to the development of speech and language. The goal of this study was to figure out when a child's palate should close. They did a randomized experiment to see how well primary cleft surgery and no surgery worked after they found the right gestational age. This is how the study looked at two groups of babies who had their cleft palates fixed when they were six months old.
While some kids may need speech therapy, most of them need it in their first year of school. The type of surgery a child has during these years will affect how they grow and how well they do. If they need speech therapy, their doctor will use a nasopharyngeal scope to look at their jaw and palate. They will work with a speech pathologist and an oral surgeon to make sure that the child gets the best care possible.
A support line for people who have a cut or gap in their mouth can be reached by calling 1-800-24cleft. You can call the Cleft Palate Foundation's Cleft Line at 1-800-24-cleft if you have questions about when cleft palate surgery is best for you. The Cleft Palate Foundation can help you find a doctor who can meet your child's needs. There are also a lot of internet tools that can help you.
After cleft palate surgery, your child will be checked on for a few days. This special treatment will be needed to get better. For the first few days after surgery, your child's hand may be limited. This is to make sure they don't accidentally put their finger in their mouth. He or she might get bruises if they do too much. You should stop them from doing things until they can walk on their own. The scar will gradually get smaller over this time.
One more problem that can happen after cleft palate surgery is that hearing can be lost Due to fluid in the middle ear, some young people have trouble hearing. In 9 to 18 months, a doctor will do surgery on your child. If the cleft is more severe, the doctor may put off surgery for a few months. Phased surgery may be needed. It doesn't matter how old your child is when they have cleft palate surgery.
If your child has problems feeding, that could be a problem for them. Grace Bagatsing assume that cleft palate babies are more likely to get ear infections and have trouble with their speech. For parents of kids who might need surgery, preventing infections is the most important thing. Nursing a child with a cleft palate, for example, might be the best thing to do. If your baby isn't gaining weight and is having a hard time eating, you should look into this.