Cleft & Craniofacial Surgery
When a family first hears the words cleft lip, cleft palate, or craniofacial condition, everything changes in an instant.
For over 20 years, our cleft and craniofacial team has stood alongside families in the Carolinas, offering answers, guidance, exceptional surgical care, and hope.
Our Mission: More Than Surgery
At Carolinas Center for Cleft and Craniofacial Surgery, our role is more than doctors performing surgery.
“We see our center as a community resource,” explains Dr. Rick Kapitan, founder and director of our cleft and craniofacial center. “Families come to us overwhelmed and looking for answers. We want to be the place families can turn to for help understanding their child’s diagnosis, learning about their options, and building a roadmap for their child’s future.”
That’s why we’ve built a specialized team and system that surrounds families with the care, support, surgical expertise, and reassurance they need, right from the start.
We are partners in your family’s journey, from your very first question to your child’s biggest milestones.
The Need for Team-Based Care
Cleft lip, cleft palate, craniosynostosis, and other craniofacial differences are complex conditions that require more than just one surgery. They need years of thoughtful, coordinated care from birth through young adulthood and beyond so that every milestone, from feeding and surgery to speech and self-confidence, is fully supported.
We provide full-scope care and surgery to repair cleft and craniofacial conditions, including:
Cleft Lip & Cleft Palate
Gaps in the lip and/or roof of the mouth that form during early pregnancy.
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Craniosynostosis & Crouzon Syndrome
Early closure of the skull’s growth plates that affects head and facial shape.
Hemifacial Microsomia & Goldenhar Syndrome
Underdevelopment of facial structures on one side of the face.
What Makes Our Approach Different
What makes our cleft and craniofacial center so special is how we care for families.
Care Rooted in Community
Our center operates differently than a typical hospital clinic.
Through our private practice model, we bring together the best specialists from across the region, creating a team that’s as broad and deep as your child’s needs.
Partnership with Purpose
No one knows your child better than you do.
That’s why our role is to advise, not decide. We are here to guide, teach, and present options so that you feel comfortable making the decisions that feel right for your family.
Meet Our Center’s Leaders
Lauren Nelson, RN, BSN
Nursing Director & Clinical Coordinator
The Role of Our Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons
Surgery is only one part of the cleft and craniofacial care journey, but it’s an important one.
Our team of nationally recognized oral and maxillofacial surgeons has decades of experience with the delicate surgical repairs that set the foundation for your child’s future development, function, and confidence.
Using the latest surgical techniques and technology, our surgeons plan each procedure with precision to ensure safety, predictability, and the best possible results.
As your child grows, our surgeons continue to play a key role in providing advanced procedures like bone grafting, jaw surgery, and rhinoplasty to refine facial function, form, and aesthetics.
Our ACPA-Accredited Team
Experience peace of mind that your child is receiving the very best, most coordinated care possible.
Our accreditation from the American Cleft Palate–Craniofacial Association (ACPA) means our team meets and is committed to the national standards for the highest level of cleft and craniofacial care.
We are one of only a few private-practice cleft centers in the nation with the experience and specialized training to deliver this quality of comprehensive care for complex craniofacial conditions.
Care That Starts Early & Grows With Your Child
Cleft and craniofacial care is a journey that often begins even before birth and continues throughout a child’s growth and development.
Many families meet with our team for a prenatal consultation. These early visits provide guidance, reassurance, and a clear plan so parents know what to expect after delivery.
Once a child is born, the first priorities are support with feeding, early therapies, and planning for the initial procedures necessary to guide healthy growth. Early surgeries are carefully timed to help with feeding, speech, breathing, and facial development.
As children grow, care expands as needed and often includes speech therapy, dental and orthodontic treatment, and additional procedures when needed to refine function, alignment, and appearance. In the adolescent years and sometimes into adulthood, our team continues to guide the final stages of care, which may include jaw surgery, nasal or facial refinements, or other treatments.
Cleft and craniofacial care is a journey that happens in stages, not a single procedure. At every milestone, we’re here to coordinate expert care that supports your child’s health, function, and confidence from the very start through adulthood.
Making Cleft Care Accessible in North and South Carolina
To make life easier for families, we hold our cleft and craniofacial clinics in Charlotte, NC; Greenville, SC; and Columbia, SC, so expert care is never far from home.
We build a multidisciplinary team around your child, so in a single, relaxed visit to our comfortable, community-based surgical centers, your child can see all of our specialists without the hassle of multiple appointments or locations.
Charlotte, NC - Blakeney
8840 Blakeney Professional Dr, Ste 300
Charlotte, NC 28277
Columbia, SC - Sunset Blvd
3573 Sunset Blvd
West Columbia, SC 29169
Greenville, SC - Verdae
280 Rocky Slope Rd, Ste A
Greenville, SC 29607
Free to Smile Foundation
A team of doctors and volunteers committed to changing a child’s life, one smile at a time, at no cost to them. They aid impoverished children in underserved communities suffering from cleft lip, palate, and other abnormalities worldwide.
Face to Face Foundation
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by Dr. Rick Kapitan in 2017, dedicated to supporting Charlotte-area families with children affected by cleft lip and palate by addressing financial needs for treatment.
Samaritan’s Purse
Since 2011, Samaritan’s Purse Cleft Lip Project has repaired over 700 cleft lips, offering children, youth, and adults a second chance and transforming lives.
Sarah Catherine’s Journey & Transformation
Meet Sarah Catherine.
As a young girl, Sarah was adopted into a loving home and arrived at our center after missing years of early treatment. Her cleft lip and palate needs were complex, but we knew this diagnosis wouldn’t define her story. Our job was to make sure she had every opportunity to thrive.
Today, Sarah is full of energy and joy. Her bright smile matches her confidence.
