seeking experience with obturator post palate repair

[Heide]

Hello, it has been a while since I have posted but have enjoyed reading how well everyone is doing.

My question deals with eating post palate repair - our little one is two years old and is having real difficulty with solids, we are working with some feeding specialists and recently learned that when our little one swallows, the shape of her palate routes some food into her nasal passages.

Our cleft palate dentist has mentioned making a obturator to semi permanently attach to her molars to help with this. Our dentist explained that sometimes food may get caught and it may get kinda "funky" in there - this is definitely not ideal but we are balancing it with our little one's nutritional needs as she is very tiny and it is a battle to get the necessary calories in. Has anyone had experience with this that they would like to share?

Thank you, Heide

[twinmom04]

Hi,
Our twin daughters were each born with soft cleft palates. They had them repaired when they were 9 months and are 3 yrs now. One of our daughters' palate is too short and she isn't able to make those pressure sounds P, B, etc so we are in the process of having it constructed now. It is a long process with many trips to the clinic. It isn't complete as of yet but should be in another few visits. She will have to wear it for 24 to 36 months and may have to have surgery to lengthen her palate when she is a little older. This is just to buy some time until then. In about 30% of these situations the muscle stretches and surgery isn't required. So that is what we are hoping for...to be that 30%. She wears it everyday, all day and we take it out at night. It sometimes has little chunks of food stuck to it but we brush it every night and before she puts it in, in the morning. We also make sure she drinks something after she eats to rinse her mouth. It really is no trouble other than convincing her to put it in in the morning. She doesn't enjoy that at all! But that too is getting better.
I hope that helped a little. If you have any other questions let me know. I haven't found anyone else who has experience with this either. Just what the Dentist tells us.
Take care,
Alex