What is the best age to repair a cleft lip?
What is the best age to repair a cleft lip?
Cleft lip repair: A cleft lip usually is repaired between 3 and 6 months of age. Many things will determine the right time for surgery; the right time for one child may not be good for another. Cleft palate repair: A cleft palate is commonly fixed between 9 and 14 months of age.
What does a cleft lip look like after surgery?
You may notice some swelling around your child’s mouth, lips and eyes, as well as some dried blood or oozing where the cleft lip was repaired. The swelling may look worse on the day after the surgery, but it will go down over the next weeks. You may see sutures (SOO-chers) or stitches on the outside of the skin.
What causes a cleft lip during pregnancy?
Causes and Risk Factors Cleft lip and cleft palate are thought to be caused by a combination of genes and other factors, such as things the mother comes in contact with in her environment, or what the mother eats or drinks, or certain medications she uses during pregnancy.
How much does it cost to fix a cleft lip?
Typical costs: Without health insurance, cleft lip and/or palate surgery typically costs $5,000 to $10,000 or more per surgery; if the child has both a cleft lip and a cleft palate, two surgeries typically are required for a total of $10,000 to $20,000.
Is a cleft lip genetic?
Researchers believe that most cases of cleft lip and cleft palate are caused by an interaction of genetic and environmental factors.
Do cleft lips go away?
The majority of children treated for cleft lip or palate grow up to have completely normal lives. Most affected children will not have any other serious medical problems and treatment can usually improve the appearance of the face and problems with feeding and speech.
Does insurance cover cleft lip?
“A health insurance policy that covers a child under the age of 18 must provide coverage for treatment of cleft lip and cleft palate for the child. The coverage must include medical, dental, speech therapy, audiology, and nutrition services.”
