Cleft lip and palate are openings or splits in the upper lip or roof of the mouth (palate). A child can be born with a cleft lip, cleft palate, or both. Cleft lip and palate may be the only birth defects, or they may happen with other defects.
A cleft lip may be as mild as a notch of the lip. Or it may be as severe as a large opening from the lip to the nose.
A cleft palate may leave an opening that goes into the nasal cavity. Cleft palate is not as noticeable as cleft lip because it is inside the mouth. The cleft may:
Involve one or both sides of the palate
Go from the front of the mouth or hard palate to the throat or soft palate
"This is a dialog window which overlays the main content of the page and plays an embedded YouTube video. Pressing the Close Modal button at the bottom of the modal or pressing the Escape key will close the modal and bring you back to where you were on the page.