Cleft Lip & Cleft Palate Surgery
Learning that your baby has a cleft lip or cleft palate can bring a lot of questions and emotions.
At our cleft center, your family is surrounded by expert guidance, coordinated care, industry-leading cleft surgeons, and unwavering support. Every step of the journey leads to the best outcomes for your child.
The Challenge of Cleft Lip & Palate
Cleft lip and cleft palate happen very early in pregnancy, when the tissues of the lip or roof of the mouth don’t fully join together. A child can be born with just a cleft palate, just a cleft lip, or a combination of the two.
Cleft Lip
A cleft lip is an opening in the upper lip. Sometimes it’s just a small notch in the pink part of the lip, and other times it can be a wider opening that reaches up toward the nose. It can appear on one side (a unilateral cleft) or on both sides (a bilateral cleft). In some cases, the opening can also affect the gum where the teeth will come in.
Cleft Palate
A cleft palate is an opening in the roof of the mouth. The separation can involve the hard palate (the bony front portion), the soft palate (the muscular back part), or sometimes both.
Care That Grows With Your Child
Repairing a cleft lip or palate with surgery is one step in a bigger journey.
Because cleft conditions can affect how a child eats, speaks, hears, and even how their teeth and facial structures grow, care doesn’t stop after the first procedure.
Cleft care is a process that unfolds over time, with support that starts in infancy and continues as your child grows into their teen years and beyond.
That’s why having a dedicated cleft team to guide you through every stage makes all the difference.
Why Our Cleft Center's Different
Choosing a cleft team is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make for your child. From the very first visit, you’ll see what makes our team different—the level of care, collaboration, and support we provide to families every step of the way.
Versatile, Community-Based Care
Our private-practice model allows us to bring together the best cleft specialists from across the region, rather than being limited to a single hospital system. Working hand-in-hand with your child’s doctors, we can achieve the best possible clinical outcomes.
Parents as Partners
We respect that no one knows your child better than you.
Our job is to guide and advise while empowering you to make the decisions that feel right for your family. We ensure your voice is heard and you feel comfortable at every step in your child’s healing journey.
Meet Our Center’s Leaders
Lauren Nelson, RN, BSN
Nursing Director & Clinical Coordinator
The Role of Our Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons
Our board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeons specialize in cleft lip and palate surgery, bringing advanced training and extensive experience to every procedure.
As part of your child’s cleft care team, they combine clinical expertise with the latest surgical techniques and technology to achieve the best possible results.
Each stage of treatment, from the first lip adhesion to nasal revisions and corrective jaw surgery, is performed with precision and compassion to enhance function, form, and facial aesthetics.
Our ACPA-Accredited Team
Families trust our cleft center because of the specialized expertise and dedication of our accredited team.
Accreditation from the American Cleft Palate–Craniofacial Association (ACPA) reflects our commitment to excellence and our drive to set a higher standard for safety, collaboration, and outcomes in cleft and craniofacial treatment.
From advanced diagnostics and surgical care to ongoing education and long-term support, you can feel confident that your child is receiving the highest quality of care.
We are also one of only a few private-practice cleft teams in the country, combining the quality and depth of a hospital-based program with the personal, family-centered approach of a community-based center.
Guiding Families Every Step of the Way
Prenatal & Newborn Consultations
The care journey for cleft lip and palate often begins before a baby is born, if the cleft is picked up on a baby’s ultrasound. Families can meet with our cleft and craniofacial surgeon and clinical coordinator to learn about cleft conditions, ask questions and get answers, and begin preparations for treatment.
Birth & Pre-surgical Care
At birth, cleft care focuses on feeding, growth, and preparing for early surgical procedures. Together with our cleft team, a comprehensive treatment plan will be personalized based on the exact diagnosis, including surgical timelines and therapies for speech and hearing.
Before surgery, gentle methods, like special taping, help shape and guide the lip and nose. This early care improves symmetry and sets the stage for the best possible results when it’s time for surgery.
Initial Surgical Procedures
The number of surgical procedures necessary to repair the cleft will depend on the extent of a child’s condition. The first surgical step to repair the cleft lip typically happens between 3 and 6 months of age. This first lip adhesion procedure will bind and connect the tissues, and a follow-up lip and nose repair procedure will align the structure for improved breathing, speech, and appearance. Surgery to close a cleft palate usually happens when a baby is between 12 and 18 months old, to allow for the best possible function for speech.
Childhood and Adolescence
Once the facial structures have developed more, between the ages of 5 and 8, additional “touch up” surgeries may refine the shape of the lip and increase the bone in the upper jaw. You will meet with our specialized cleft team in regular intervals, usually every 6 months to a year, for guidance on the ideal timing for orthodontics, bone grafting, nasal revisions, and corrective jaw surgery.
Even though cleft care usually involves several surgeries over the years, there are often long stretches of time when no procedures or active treatment is needed at all. As you move through your treatment journey, our surgeons and cleft team will be by your side every step of the way.
Making Cleft Care Convenient in North & South Carolina
We hold cleft clinics in Charlotte, NC; Greenville, SC; and Columbia, SC, bringing an entire team of specialists to you.
In one relaxed visit to our modern surgical centers, your child can see every member of our cleft team, without traveling to multiple offices for multiple appointments.
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
Face to Face Foundation
When families struggle to pay for the comprehensive care needed for Cleft, the Face to Face Foundation can help. It was developed to help raise funds from the community to help families cover what isn’t covered by insurance.
American Cleft Palate Craniofacial Association
ACPA is a national nonprofit organization that supports individuals and families affected by cleft and craniofacial conditions, offering educational resources, emotional support, and access to accredited cleft and craniofacial care teams across the country.
Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act
The Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act (ELSA) is a federal bill supported by ACPA that ensures health insurance covers the full range of medical, dental, and reconstructive care needed to treat congenital anomalies such as cleft and craniofacial conditions. ELSA helps protect families from unnecessary financial hardship.
Novant Health Hemby Children’s Hospital
Novant Health Hemby Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, NC, is where our team of cleft surgeons performs most infant and young adolescent surgeries. Families appreciate the hospital’s warm, family-centered environment and feel at ease knowing their child is receiving exceptional care at a nationally recognized hospital for extraordinary pediatric care.
