Word! Cleft Palate

Cleft Palate

Say: kleft PAL-et

A cleft is a split between two things. The palate is the roof of your mouth. If you feel inside the middle of your mouth, you can touch the seam where the two halves of your mouth grew together while you were developing inside your mom.

Some babies are born with palates that haven't grown together. Cleft palates can make it hard for children to eat or talk and they also can cause hearing problems. Surgery can fix a cleft palate.