Treatment standards
Our little cleft patients are only operated on in accordance with internationally recognised standards so as to ensure normal growth. Only in this way can a disfigured face be turned into a normal, attractive one. The high requirements placed on oral-facial specialists who wish to operate on cleft children require special training, expertise and several years of experience in oral-facial surgery.
In order for the treatment to work, a large team of specialists must also be able to work closely together: Oral- and maxillofacial surgeons; plastic surgeons; orthodontists; anaesthetists; ENT doctors; dentists; speech therapists, audiologists and psychologists must work together in perfect harmony.
- In the first days of life, dental plates are inserted to make feeding easier for the little patients.
- The procedure to close up the cleft will be performed once these children have reached a minimum weight at around three to six months.
- In more complex cases, such as bilateral cleft lip and palates – the most common kind – additional operations will be required in later years.
- Most cleft children require orthodontic supervision up to the age of 18.