Cleft Lip Repair

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Cleft Lip Treatments We Offer

When your child has a cleft lip, you want an experienced team who can make an accurate diagnosis, develop an effective treatment plan and provide ongoing, long-term support for your family. The Cleft and Craniofacial team at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital offers leading-edge treatment options and ongoing management for cleft lip. Our team focuses on providing family-centered care that puts you and your child at the center of the treatment plan.

A child born with a cleft lip has an opening or split in their upper lip. Doctors generally treat this condition using nasal alveolar molding (NAM), followed by cleft lip surgery. Your child may then need additional specialty care, depending on their unique situation.

Our expert team offers the latest in research-backed treatments for children with cleft lip, including:

Cleft rhinoplasty: The surgeon reshapes the nose to help soften its appearance. We provide a variety of primary and secondary rhinoplasty to completely reconstruct the nose.
Fat grafting and soft tissue reconstruction: These procedures can help soften the appearance of facial differences.
Lip adhesion: The surgeon narrows the split in the lip and gums and moves the nose to a more typical position. Usually performed when the baby is around three months old, this is the first step in the two-step process to repair a cleft lip.
Nasal alveolar molding (NAM): A plastic plate helps reshape the child’s lip, gums, and nostrils. Your child’s doctor may recommend undergoing this treatment before cleft lip surgery.
Orthognathic surgery: A series of surgical procedures to better align the upper and lower jaws.