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Cleft palate

A cleft palate is a congenital abnormality caused during fetal development that leads to a facial malformation. Specifically, cleft palate refers to a split found in the roof of the mouth which can be treated with surgery and speech therapy.

Cleft and craniofacial care in Kansas City

Our compassionate specialists involve the family in every step of your child's care for congenital (present at birth) and acquired abnormalities of the head and neck.

We understand that medical evaluations and procedures can be overwhelming for young children and their families, but the cleft and craniofacial team at HCA Midwest Health offer ongoing supportive care for children experiencing a cleft or craniofacial condition, before or after birth.

Related specialties

Learn more about our related specialties.

Cleft and craniofacial conditions treated

Our team will collaborate closely with your primary care physician in managing your child's cleft or craniofacial condition to help guide you through the process. The full range of conditions we treat includes:

  • Acute and chronic facial fractures
  • Apert syndrome
  • Cleft lip
  • Cleft palate
  • Craniosynostosis
  • Craniofacial anomalies
  • Crouzon syndrome
  • Facial fractures
  • Facial trauma
  • Hemifacial microsomia
  • Hypernasal speech
  • Pierre Robin sequence
  • Plagiocephaly
  • Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS)
  • Velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI)

Our treatments and services

Our cleft and craniofacial specialists work together as a team to coordinate medical and surgical planning for your child’s condition, crafting an individualized treatment plan that puts their best interests first.

Comprehensive care

Every family we care for is unique, and we want to consider the complete medical and social history to make the most appropriate recommendations for your child. When your child is experiencing a cleft lip, cleft palate, craniofacial condition or other congenital difference, there will be a number of specialists involved to ensure they are receiving the most comprehensive care available.

Because cleft and craniofacial conditions can affect different parts of your child’s health and development, there are a number of different specialties that may help care for them, including:

  • Anesthesiologists
  • Audiology specialists
  • Child life specialists
  • Dieticians
  • Dentists and orthodontists
  • Feeding specialists
  • Genetics experts
  • Lactation
  • Neurosurgeons
  • Pediatricians
  • Personal caregivers
  • Oral and maxillofacial surgeons
  • Otolaryngologists
  • Plastic surgeons
  • Prosthodontists
  • Psychologists
  • Pulmonary medicine specialists
  • Sleep medicine experts
  • Social workers
  • Speech-language pathologists

Treatment options

Cleft and craniofacial care is centralized at Overland Park Regional Medical Center, where our specialists work to foster strong patient-caregiver relationships to ensure optimal medical and surgical outcomes. Typically for cleft lip, cleft palate, and craniosynostosis, surgery will be an important part of your child's treatment plan, but any necessary surgeries or other interventions are discussed in detail in advance, so your family can be as prepared as possible.

We offer numerous surgical and nonsurgical options for correcting these types of abnormalities, including:

  • Alveolar bone grafting
  • Cleft lip repair
  • Cleft palate repair
  • Cleft rhinoplasty
  • Cranial molding helmet
  • Cranial vault reconstruction
  • Dental extractions and implants
  • Mandibular distraction
  • Orthognathic surgery
  • Speech surgery
  • Surgically assisted orthodontics
Learn about our pediatric specialty care 

Patient stories

Pediatrics

Obadiah Freeman

Obadiah had a challenging start to life but after cleft lip and palate surgery, he is back to being a happy baby.
Read more about this story 

Pediatrics

Audrey Spencer

Audrey Spenser was born with a cleft lip and received care at Overland Park Regional Medical Center.
Read more about this story 

Pediatrics

Parker Winget

Parker and his mom, Katy, were born with the same facial cleft lip, but thanks to the care at OPRMC, Parker is a happy and healthy baby.
Read more about this story 

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