You'll find hundreds of files on cleft lip, cleft palate here on widesmiles.org . Teeth are important for aesthetic reasons and for supporting facial structures.
Teeth are also essential for chewing food, and they play a major role in speech production.
The period of deciduous dentition, when the baby teeth are appearing. The period of mixed dentition, when baby teeth are being shed and replaced with permanent teeth. The period of adult dentition or permanent adult teeth. The child with a cleft may require attention in all three stages. The need of orthodontic intervention to unlock impacted palatal segments and permit more normal growth has long been recognized.