Cleft lip and palate

The treatment of a child born with cleft lip and/or palate can be complicated and often requires several procedures throughout a child’s life.  Not all children need every procedure. These procedures can include:

 

1.  Cleft lip repair

2. Cleft palate repair

3. Alveolar (gumline) bone grafting

4. Rhinoplasty or revision rhinoplasty

5. Orthognathic surgery (“jaw surgery” or Lefort surgery)

6. Tooth extraction, including wisdom teeth

 

Children may also occasionally need additional surgeries, including:

 

1. Revision cleft lip repair

2. VPI Surgery (Speech surgery)

3. Fistula repair (repair of a hole in the palate)

 

Dr. Purnell is able to provide all of these procedures, taking your child from birth to adulthood with as few changes in surgeon as possible.  We would be happy to discuss the care of your child at any time in their development. 

 

A TEAM APPROACH is absolutely critical to taking care of children with clefts.  Dr. Purnell is a member of two American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association approved teams in Chicago. These teams include all of the specialists that your child will need throughout life, including craniofacial plastic surgery, otolaryngology, speech and language pathologists, psychologists, orthodontists, and dentists.  It is important that all of these specialists create a plan together to ensure the best care for your child.

 

If you would like to schedule an appointment or have questions related to cleft lip or palate care, please follow the links below:

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