Children with untreated clefts are often very isolated and lonely, becoming social outcasts because of their severely altered appearance & inability to communicate properly. An untreated cleft affects every aspect of a child’s life. Feeding is difficult, because the cleft may cause liquids and food to run out through the nose; they tend not to eat well and suffer malnutrition & fail to thrive. Talking is almost impossible; at the very least it may be extremely difficult for others to understand hence they become insular with low self-esteem. When the child starts to grow teeth, the teeth usually grow in an abnormal manner that appears more disfiguring e.g. teeth may grow outside of the mouth cavity.
