Cleft lip and cleft palate are facial and oral malformations that occur very early in pregnancy, while the baby is developing inside the mother. Clefting results when there is not enough tissue in the mouth or lip area, and the tissue that is available does not join together properly.
A cleft lip or palate happens when the structures that form the upper lip or palate fail to join together when a baby is developing in the womb.
The exact reason why this happens to some babies is often unclear. It's very unlikely to have been caused by anything you did or did not do during pregnancy. A cleft lip is usually picked up during the mid-pregnancy anomaly scan done when you're between 18 and 21 weeks pregnant. Not all cleft lips will be obvious on this scan and it's very difficult to detect a cleft palate on an ultrasound scan.
A cleft lip is a physical split or separation of the two sides of the upper lip and appears as a narrow opening or gap in the skin of the upper lip. This separation often extends beyond the base of the nose and includes the bones of the upper jaw and/or upper gum.
At Bisoniya hospital cleft lip and palate surgeries are done totally free of cost to the patient (with help of smile train foundation).
Dr. Bisoniya has done more than 4500 cleft lip/palate operations, totally free of cost to patients. Affected patients can come to Bisoniya hospital on any day and time; they are managed on a priority basis.
