Cleft Lip & Palate

We are passionate about this area of orthodontics, and will use our expertise to bring out your child’s beautiful smile.

“The infant born with a cleft has a beautiful smile, we just need to provide a little assembly”  -Dr. Cermin

Part of Dr. Cermin’s passion for creating smiles has led her to caring for children with cleft lip and palate. A cleft lip is an opening in the lip that may extend up into the nose, and may be on one or both sides of the lip. A cleft palate is a hole in the upper roof of the mouth that leads to the nasal cavity. When these disorders are paired together, they are cleft lip and palate, and can compromise the infant’s feeding.

Causes

Cleft lip and palate is the most common facial birth condition. A facial cleft may be part of a larger syndrome as well.

Treatment

Treatment for a facial cleft often requires surgery. In preparation for upcoming surgeries, pediatric craniofacial specialists create an appliance to facilitate feeding until the cleft repair process can be initiated.

Dr. Cermin’s role is to walk beside families as they navigate this process and to create appliances that minimize the severity of the cleft and allow the infant to feed. These appliances also guide the infant’s facial bones into the correct place for surgical manipulation.

Prognosis

Prognosis for a cleft lip is outstanding with appropriate attention from an experienced craniofacial team. The condition can be corrected to full function with minimal scarring.