Dr. Bussick was one of the founding members of the Kids First Clinic in Fort Wayne, IN.
What Is Oral Clefting?
Oral clefting occurs when the tissues of the lip and/or palate of a fetus don’t grow together early in pregnancy. Children with clefts often don’t have enough tissue in their mouths, and the tissue they do have isn’t fused together properly to form the roof of their mouths.
A cleft lip appears as a narrow opening or gap in the skin of the upper lip that extends all the way to the base of the nose. A cleft palate is an opening between the roof of the mouth and the nasal cavity. Some kids have clefts that extend through both the front and rear part of the palates, while others have only partial clefting.
The Three Common Kinds of Clefts
- Cleft lip without a cleft palate
- Cleft palate without a cleft lip
- Cleft lip and cleft palate together
In addition, clefts can occur on one side of the mouth (unilateral clefting) or on both sides of the mouth (bilateral clefting).
Cleft Care Questions, Answered
Dr. Bussick was one of the founding members of the Kids First Clinic in Fort Wayne, IN, and provides specialized orthodontic care for children with cleft lip and cleft palate.
The three common kinds are cleft lip without a cleft palate, cleft palate without a cleft lip, and cleft lip and cleft palate together. Clefts can occur on one side of the mouth (unilateral) or on both sides (bilateral).
Schedule a free consultation at either Fort Wayne office by calling (260) 436-2255. Dr. Bussick will evaluate your child and coordinate the orthodontic phase of their care plan.