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May 24, 2013
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Normal and Cleft Palate


Normal palate

Picture of the normal palate

The roof of the mouth is known as the palate. The hard palate is in the front, closer to the teeth. The soft palate is in the back, toward the throat.

Examples of cleft palate

Picture of cleft palate examples

In cleft palate, the roof of the mouth (palate) has an opening (cleft) that may go through to the nasal cavity. This birth defect is corrected with one or more surgeries.

Illustrations copyright 2001 by Nucleus Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. http://www.nucleusinc.com

ByHealthwise Staff
Primary Medical ReviewerJohn Pope, MD - Pediatrics
Specialist Medical ReviewerAdam David Schaffner, MD, FACS - Plastic Surgery, Otolaryngology
Last RevisedJanuary 19, 2012

eMedicineHealth Medical Reference from Healthwise

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