CLEFT LIP 2
Causes, Effects and Treatment of a Cleft Lip
Cleft lip is a condition characterized an opening in the upper lip that mostly extends to the nose. It is found in children as a result of facial tissues not joining properly during development in the womb. Cleft lips bring about hypernasal speech whereby pronunciation of certain words becomes problematic due to an increase in airflow through the cleft opening and the nose. However, medical practitioners have devised various ways to treat the condition and reverse the effects it has on speech production. This essay aims to discuss in depth the causes, effects, and treatment methods of a cleft lip.
Clef lips are formed during the early stages of pregnancy; therefore there is no proof that the condition is preventable. The disease is hereditary, meaning that is a sibling, parent or relative has a cleft; there is a chance the state would manifest in a newborn (Sivertsen et al., 2008, p. 432-434). Also, a specific medication that a mother may have taken during pregnancy may result in a baby being born with a cleft (Yamada et al., 2013, p. 238). Also, smoking cigarettes and alcoholism during pregnancy could bring about a cleft in the newborn (Honein et al., 2007, p. 226-233). Obesity and diabetes in pregnant women may also result in the condition although this happens on infrequent occasions. Cleft lips can be hereditary or caused by mothers having obesity, diabetes, alcoholism as well as the use of specific medication.
The symptoms of a cleft lip are easily identifiable as the condition causes facial and oral malformations. An ultrasound performed during pregnancy may also determine whether the child is to be born with a cleft (Berkowitz, 2013, p. 87, 299). It appears as a split on the upper lip, and it ranges in size. The condition also causes difficulties in speech production when it comes to pronouncing some sounds and syllables. If left unattended to, cleft lips can be fatal due to infections (Christensen, Juel, Herskind, & Murray, 2004, p. 328). Parents whose infants are diagnosed with a left clip must seek medical assistance to prevent cases where babies die yet the condition is treatable.
Also, a cleft lip comes with its share of obstacles to a child’s life, among them, being difficulties in feeding and swallowing. Infants have to be fed in an upright position to prevent milk from coming out through the nose. Ear infections may also be experienced due to contamination by external factors, and this might result in permanent loss of hearing (Wyszynski, 2002, p. 170). Most children also experience self-esteem issues and have a hard time socializing due to their physical appearance (Broder, Norman, Sischo, & Wilson-Genderson, 2013, p. 339-347). When the cleft extends through the gums; the development of teeth may be affected. Apart from that, hypernasal speech could be experienced leading to a mispronunciation of some sounds. Clearly, a cleft lip causes many challenges of speech, feeding and hearing and should therefore be intercepted and taken care of before it is too late.
Speech and communication is affected in different ways and these only become evident when the child learns to speak. For instance, the split in the lip makes it impossible for the mouth to close making air escape through the nose and this makes speech sound nasal (Cobourne, 2012, p. 137). Additionally, consonant sounds like’s’ and ‘z’ become difficult to pronounce since the tongue needs to be at a specific position. Where the dental formula is affected, sounds such as ‘f’ and ‘v’ become problematic. Therefore, children with such challenges must be subjected to speech therapy to help them improve their articulation for them to be able to interact confidently with others.
However, the good news is that a cleft lip can be treated as early as the moment a child is born, depending on how to sever the condition is (Acton, 2012, p. 15). Surgery is the most common method of treatment whereby the split is repaired through plastic surgery (Sitzman, 2014, p. 241). Here, tissues from other parts of the body are removed and replaced to the split in the lip (Cobourne, 2012, p. 101). Speech therapy could also be performed to reverse the speech difficulties experienced due to the cleft lip. Dentists may also be involved in cases where the cleft affected normal growth of teeth.
If the condition is acquired through hereditary means, medical geneticists can be consulted to diagnose and manage the disorder to prevent it from manifesting in another child. In addition to that, plastic surgery can be done to reconstruct facial features since after the cleft is filled up a patient is left with scars that may never go away. In conclusion, since a cleft lip is treatable, it is essential for parents to seek assistance as soon as a child is diagnosed with the condition.
References
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