Orthodontic Treatment in Cleft Lip and Palate Patients

Orthodontic care is an essential part of the comprehensive therapy of individuals with cleft lip and palate. It is among the most common congenital defects affecting around 1 in 700 newborns globally. Cleft lip and palate are caused by the incompletely acquainted tissues of the facial lip and/or palate during the early gestation, causing a void or space in the overhead lip and/or the roof of the palate. The disability can have a significant impact on general dentition, articulation, feeding, and dental health, requiring. In this article, we are going to discuss the orthodontic treatment provided by an Irving orthodontist to address these difficulties.

Some of the main functional roles of orthodontic therapy include:

• Closing the Gaps and Spaces, i.e., Orthodontic treatment is employed to remove the voids in the dental curves produced by the cleft to create a more holistic and responsive bite.
• Aligning Teeth: Compounds and transparent aligners are utilized to align and align dentition, enhancing function and appearance.
• Correcting Jaw Alignment: Therapy can help fix discrepancies in the jaws and asymmetry to improve organic mass and symmetry.

Existing Situation

Cleft and lip are heavily associated with missing teeth, hypertrophic gums, and tooth eruption imperfections. The existence of cavities can cause crowding and an asymmetry of the curves. The presence also impacts the capabilities of boundary formulations between the soft palate, chin, and upper lips. This causes affected phonation, like compromised voice and articulation. Furthermore, due to cleft lip and palate, newborn babies are not capable of feeding milk smoothly.

Treatment Approach

The process of orthodontic treatment for a cleft lip and palate patient involves several steps, and they include:

• Pre-Surgical Orthodontics: before surgery for cleft lip and palate, the dental arches may be inadequately aligned, and the surgeon may not be exposed to sufficient newborn tissue to optimize surgical outcomes.
• Surgical Correction: the surgical correction of cleft lip and palate is extensive and mail performed by a team of experts made up of oral and maxillofacial surgeons, plastic surgeons, and orthodontists. The goal of the surgery is to close the cleft and restore normal form and function to the nose, palate, and lips.
• Post-Surgical Orthodontics: After surgical correction of cleft lip and palate, post-surgical orthodontics is frequently necessary to finalize dentofacial orthopedic correction.

Benefits of orthodontic cleft and palate treatment include not only beautification and optimal oral function restoration but also self-esteem windfall associated with improved aesthetics.