A nice little poem to read before your first big surgery to put your mind at ease.

Cleft lip and cleft palate can occur on one side (unilateral cleft lip and/or palate), or on both sides (bilateral cleft lip and/or palate). Because the lip and the palate develop separately, it is possible for the child to have a cleft lip, a cleft palate, or both cleft lip and cleft palate

The Latham device is not visible from the outside of your child's mouth. You can see the plastic and metal device when the child opens his mouth or yawns.The device is attached to the roof of the child's mouth in the operating room under general anesthesia.

The baby may be uncomfortable for about 48 hours after the device is inserted. By the time your child is ready to go home from the hospital she should not be experiencing much discomfort. The doctor may suggest a mild pain relief medication, such as Tylenol, if needed.

The baby doesn't feel any pain from the Latham device, and can feed as normal. The infant will usually stop gaining weight while the device is in place. After removal of the device and the cleft lip repair, weight gain should return to normal.

The screw pushes on the back bracket to rotate the two side brackets upward and together.

Closure of the lip is performed by the plastic surgeon when the baby is approximately 3 to 6 months of age and weighs at least 10 pounds. The plastic surgeon usually performs this at the same time the Latham is removed from child.

Another treatment option for infants born with clefts of the primary and secondary palate is Nasal Alveolar Molding. Pre-Surgical Nasal Alveolar Molding is a method of treatment that reshapes the infant’s nose without surgery through the use of a custom made orthopedic denture plate.

Molding should begin within the first few days or weeks of life. The Pediatric Dentist takes a dental impression of your baby’s mouth and fabricates a appliance that is unique to your baby’s mouth. The appliance is a hard piece of plastic that fits to the roof of the mouth.

The appliance is a hard piece of plastic that fits to the roof of the mouth. Once your baby gets used to wearing this, nasal prongs are added to lift the nostrils. At the same time, tape is used to move and reshape the tissue segments. Molding is a continuous process that requires weekly visits to the pediatric dentist.

At each visit the pediatric dentist will adjust the shape of the appliance and reposition the nasal prongs.This slow movement continues until the pediatric dentist is satisfied with the position of the tissue and cartilage and consults with the Plastic Surgeon. Once satisfied that the optimum position has been attained, the lip is surgically repaired

The molding device is worn 24 hours a day and is removed only for cleaning. The principle objective of presurgical nasoalveolar molding (NAM) is to reduce the severity of the initial cleft deformity.Most patients will stay in the hospital 1-2 days following surgery. Children can go home when they are able to drink well. More Info Here Click Nam Gallery http://www.cleftstories.com