Cleft Lip and Palate Program

Expert care

Program basics

As one of the largest Cleft Lip and Palate programs of its kind, we provide a wide range of diagnostic, treatment and follow-up services for cleft lip and/or cleft palate. Services include:

• Surgical cleft lip and/or palate repair
• Dental and orthodontic treatment
• Feeding guidance and nutritional support
• Evaluation and management of hearing loss
• Speech therapy
• Psychosocial support and counseling

Our team includes:

• Plastic surgeons
• Oral and maxillofacial surgeons
• Dentists
• Nurses
• Psychologists and social workers
• Otolaryngologists
• Speech-language pathologists
• Audiologists
• Clinical geneticists

This multidisciplinary team works together to address the individual needs of each patient and family in treating and managing cleft lip and/or palate.

Excellence in pediatric plastic and oral surgery

The Cleft Lip and Palate Program is part of Boston Children’s Department of Plastic and Oral Surgery—one of the largest and most active pediatric plastic surgery centers in the country. Each year, the department cares for more than 16,000 infants, children, adolescents and young adults and performs more than 2,300 surgical procedures. Our clinical specialties include:

• Reconstructive surgery
• Craniofacial surgery
• Facial reanimation
• Hand surgery and microsurgery
• Oral, maxillofacial and orthognathic surgery

Among the conditions we routinely care for are:

• Apert syndrome
• Facial nerve palsy/paralysis
• Hand anomalies, including constriction ring syndrome, polydactyly/thumb duplication, syndactyly, thumb hypoplasia and macrodactyly
• Hemifacial microsomia
• Lymphedema
• Microtia
• Plagiocephaly
• Vascular anomalies, including vascular malformations, tumors and hemangiomas

Our department also co-directs a state-of-the-art, 2,500-square-foot research laboratory. We are currently examining facial growth patterns and surgical outcomes for children with cleft lip and/or palate and conducting a study of quality, safety, cost and comparative effectiveness of cleft treatments.

Other departmental research focuses include angiogenesis and tissue regeneration and cranioplasty and bone healing.

Your appointment

Below is some hepful information about your appointment. Click here to read more about whatto expect during your visit to our program.

Getting here

Please plan to arrive at least 15 minutes prior to your appointment. Traffic and parking in the Longwood Medical Area can be difficult and time-consuming. Please take this into account when you leave for your visit. Parking is available in the Children's Parking Garage at a discounted rate with a validated ticket.

We are located in the Fegan Building on the 3rd Floor.

Check in

When you arrive to the office in the Fegan Building, 3rd floor, check in at the front desk. There, one of our staff will verify your personal information and collect the copayment for your visit.

During your child's exam

You will meet with several members of the Cleft Lip and Palate team during your visit. Specialists may include:

• Audiologist
• Dentist/Orthodontist
• Nurse
• Plastic Surgeon
• Speech and Language Pathologist

Each specialist will meet with you and your child individually to review your child's medical history and perform a specialized physical exam.

Length of your visit 

Visits to our clinic usually last about two hours.

Follow-up appointments

Our clinic coordinator, Elizabeth Leonard, will help schedule any follow-up appointments you may need.