Cleft Lip and Palate Clinic

The Cleft Lip and Palate Clinic at Texas Children’s Hospital specializes in the comprehensive care of patients born with cleft lip and palate. Cleft lip and palate is a congenital anomaly that occurs when a baby’s upper lip and/or palate do not fuse during pregnancy. A baby can have an isolated cleft lip, an isolated cleft palate, or a combination of the 2. The main issues developed by children with cleft lip and palate involve feeding difficulties, speech development, oral hygiene, dental problems and social interaction.

The multidisciplinary cleft team at Texas Children’s has over 40 years of experience treating these particular issues. Each patient’s condition is unique and care is tailored to his specific needs. All of our specialists are trained in the care of cleft lip and palate patients. The team consists of:

• Pediatrician
• Plastic surgeon
• Pediatric dentist
• Craniofacial orthodontist
• Otolaryngologist or ear, nose and throat specialist (also called ENT)
• Speech pathologist
• Audiologist
• Craniofacial nurse
• Genetic counselor
• Social worker
• Nutritionist

Initial Visit

During the first visit team visit your child will be seen by all of our specialists so a thorough and appropriate care plan can be formulated. Our team meets every Monday. After each clinic, we sit together as a team to discuss the care of our patients. The plan is then solidified and put into action. Our goal is to provide families with most comprehensive, family friendly treatment possible. We appreciate that all families are busy and need to maximize their time when it comes to visiting the doctor. This is why we want to make our clinic as quick as possible, but also provide you with the highest level of cleft care in the world.

Clinic Visits

All of our patients are followed on a yearly basis. Whether they have surgery or not, our patients are followed closely as they progress from a baby, into childhood, adolescence and adulthood. The care of cleft lip and palate patients is highly dependent on growth. By keeping our patients closely associated with our team, we are able to institute treatment protocols in a proactive manner so that the highest level of care can be delivered.

Research

Dr. Laura Monson, plastic surgeon and 2012-2013 Texas Children's Hospital Auxiliary Fellowship recipient, is studying the short- and long-term outcomes of patients with cleft lip and palate. The study tracks clinical and quality-of-life data that will enable Texas Children's to know how patients are affected by a cleft lip and palate beyond physical measurements. Learn more about our research.

Appointments

Call 832-822-3180, option #2 today to make an appointment. If you have or are expecting a baby with cleft lip and/or palate, please contact us so that we can set up an initial consultation with our team.