What is a buccinator flap operation?
A buccinator flap operation aims to lengthen the soft palate. Some children whose cleft involves the palate develop a ‘nasal’ tone to their voice because the soft palate is too short and air escapes through their nose when speaking. Sometimes, food and drink can also go up into the nose. A buccinator flap operation effectively lengthens the palate so that less air, food or drink can go into the nose. This hopefully makes the speech less nasal. Other children with nasal speech, not caused by a cleft palate, can also benefit from the buccinator flap operation.
