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Kids Health Info

Cleft palate submucous cleft

  • Pain control

    Give paracetamol and codeine as required for pain. Avoid aspirin. Tender loving care is recommended. Cuddle and talk to your child often. Offer frequent small feedings.

    Diet

    Fluids and soft diet only for three weeks. Your child can take fluids from the same bottle and teat as used before surgery. You can give baby food, or you can prepare food with a blender or strainer. Do not give hard foods like toast, biscuits, potato crisps or rusks as they can damage the area that was operated upon. Do not allow fizzy drinks or objects to be placed inside the mouth (including straws, dummies). Encourage sips of water after eating to help wash the mouth.

    Activities

    Encourage quiet activities at home.

    Appearance

    After surgery there will be sutures (stitches) on the roof of your child's mouth. You will not be able to see these easily from the outside.

    Medical attention

    Seek medical attention if your child has:

    • Increasing pain or pain not relieved by medication
    • Persistent fever
    • General unwellness
    • Poor feeding/oral intake
    • Bleeding from the mouth or nose
    • Damage to the mouth or palate

    Follow-up

    A review appointment should be made to see a doctor within two weeks; after this you will be seen in our Cleft Clinic in a few months.

    Contact

    Pru Talbot (Cleft Co-ordinator) - 9345 6595
    Plastic & Maxillofacial Surgery Office - 9345 6583
    Outpatient appointments - 9345 6180
    Plastic Surgery Resident or Registrar - via switchboard on 9345 5522

    Call an ambulance (000) immediately in an emergency.

    Developed by The Royal Children's Hospital Speech Pathology and Plastic and Maxillofacial Surgery departments. We acknowledge the input of RCH consumers and carers.

    Reviewed November 2015.

    This information is awaiting routine review. Please always seek the most recent advice from a registered and practising clinician.


Disclaimer

This information is intended to support, not replace, discussion with your doctor or healthcare professionals. The authors of these consumer health information handouts have made a considerable effort to ensure the information is accurate, up to date and easy to understand. The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne accepts no responsibility for any inaccuracies, information perceived as misleading, or the success of any treatment regimen detailed in these handouts. Information contained in the handouts is updated regularly and therefore you should always check you are referring to the most recent version of the handout. The onus is on you, the user, to ensure that you have downloaded the most up-to-date version of a consumer health information handout.