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.
Cleft Lip and Palate Clinic at Texas Children’s Hospital
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.
