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NAM is usually performed by a craniofacial orthodontist (link to craniofacial surgical orthodontics) in conjunction with the craniofacial plastic surgeon (link to craniofacial plastic surgeons) on newborns with a wide, complete cleft. NAM is an appliance that helps bring the different parts of the cleft closer together and also helps reshape the nose in preparation for cleft lip repair (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Nasoalveolar molding
- Wide complete cleft lip and alveolus (palate not shown)
- The NAM device is used to progressively narrow the gap in the lip and alveolus, and to reshape the left nostril
- Cleft after NAM and before surgery. The cleft is narrower, and the left nostril shape is more similar to the right nostril
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