Smiles By Design

Cleft Lip and Palate

Each of us had a cleft lip and cleft palate during the early weeks of development in our mother’s womb. Normally, the tissues that form the palate (the roof of your mouth) and the upper lip come together in the middle and join (fuse). You can see the lines of fusion in the “Cupid’s bow” under your own nose, and feel the ridge and line in the middle of your palate (the roof of your mouth). If your baby has a cleft, this fusion did not happen when he or she was developing.

In most cases, we simply don’t know why lip and palate development go wrong. About 1 in 600 babies has a cleft lip or cleft palate.

Race and gender play a small role. Clefts are most common in Asians. They are less common in whites and least common in blacks. Boys are more often affected than girls.

In some families, clefts appear in several family members, so heredity is important. Sometimes substances in the environment, called teratogens, may be associated with clefts. But most babies with clefts have no known relatives with clefts and no known exposure to teratogens. A few babies with clefts also have other abnormalities. Your baby’s doctor will look for these other abnormalities and tell you what