Facial Impairments

An estimated one in every 500 babies born in the United States is born with a cleft lip or palate (when the tissues of the mouth or lip don't form properly during fetal development). This defect can cause a variety of complications, including feeding problems, speech defects, chronic ear infections, hearing loss, and dental problems.

Because of the problems associated with clefts, no single doctor or specialty can appropriately care for these children. Our ENT surgeons participate with a team of many specialists. We perform a comprehensive evaluation, and then meet to develop a customized treatment plan and discuss recommendations for care with the family and the primary care doctor. The specialties represented on this team usually include:

• plastic surgery
• ENT 
• dental medicine including oral surgery and orthodontics
• genetics
• speech pathology (often called a speech therapist)
• audiologist
• nursing
• behavioral health

Treatment usually begins in the first few months of life, depending on the health of your baby and the extent of the cleft. Thanks to medical advancements, reconstructive surgery can repair cleft lips and palates, and, in more involved cases, plastic surgery can address specific appearance-related concerns.

Other complex facial, ear, or airway deformities caused by birth defects, tumors, and trauma may also require the expertise of many health care providers. Like cleft lip and palate, these deformities typically require reconstructive surgery to minimize the affect they might have on a child’s developing skull, face, and brain, as well as his or her ability to breathe, hear, speak, and eat properly.

Because our focus is always on the whole child, our goal is to alleviate these health concerns while also acknowledging the impact our work will have on your child’s appearance, self-esteem, and social abilities.

To that end, counselors are available to help both you and your child deal with the emotional aspects of a facial impairment. As we monitor your child's medical progress regarding hearing, speech, and nutrition, we’ll keep a close eye on his or her emotional development as well. We’re happy to share any evaluations and recommendations with your child's school, and provide feedback and advice to help you through the many phases of your child's growth and treatment.