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Treatment
When a child is born with this condition there are many steps in getting the proper treatment including.
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Pre-surgery treatments: OrthoCleft retainer to help decrease the open gap within the mouth. This is also helpful in stretching out the lip muscles, reshaping the nose, and helping to improve the ability to suck, drink and eat.
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A surgical procedure: It is highly successful in closing the cleft. It also repairs the problems with the nose and lip that are connected to the cleft. Repair of the lip is typically done at 3 months of age but will likely require surgery in the future. Repair of the palate is more complicated and is typically done at 9 months, but no later than 18 months. In addition to the original procedure to fix the palate, more surgeries will likely be needed for the purpose of improving the outer appearance and help the patient with any breathing difficulties. These additional procedures can occur from the age of 18 months up to the age of 4 years.
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Speech therapy: Those who have had this condition suffer from speech impediments. Speech therapy is used to help develop better and more age appropriate speech patterns.
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