What Is Cleft Lip and Palate Treatment?
Cleft lip and palate treatment is a multi-phase orthodontic and surgical process that corrects facial, dental, and skeletal differences present from birth. Care begins in infancy and continues through adulthood, combining presurgical orthopedics, jaw alignment, bone graft surgery preparation, and final tooth straightening. The goal is healthy function, balanced facial structure, and a confident smile.
When your child is born with a cleft lip or palate, you want answers and a care team that truly understands what comes next. Specialized orthodontic care supports children through every stage of their development, from infancy through adulthood. At Boller Orthodontic Arts, we work as part of a multidisciplinary craniofacial team to address jaw alignment, guide tooth eruption, and support healthy arch development before and after surgery.
This isn’t a single procedure or a quick fix. Cleft care is a coordinated effort involving surgeons, speech therapists, pediatricians, and orthodontists working together over many years. Dr. Boller, DDS, MS, completed specialty orthodontic residency training and brings clinical precision and an artist’s eye to each phase, helping your child achieve not just a functional bite but a confident smile.
For families in Crown Point, IN and throughout Northwest Indiana, having an experienced orthodontist close to home makes a real difference. Long-term treatment requires trust, consistency, and a practice that treats every patient like family. Cleft conditions are among the most common birth differences in the United States, making access to specialized local care meaningful for many families.
Cleft Lip and Palate Surgery Support in Crown Point, IN
While surgical repair is performed by craniofacial and oral surgeons, orthodontic care plays a central role before and after each procedure. Dr. Boller prepares the dental arches, aligns teeth around surgical sites, and helps stabilize the results so each surgery has the best possible foundation. From the first lip repair in infancy to potential corrective jaw surgery in late adolescence, our practice partners with your surgical team to keep treatment phases moving smoothly. Think of orthodontics as the connective tissue of the entire surgical experience, the steady hand guiding teeth and jaws into position so each procedure builds on the last.
Benefits of Specialized Cleft Orthodontic Care
Children born with cleft lip or palate face unique challenges that extend far beyond appearance. Specialized orthodontic care addresses these challenges at their root, creating lasting improvements in function, health, and daily life for kids growing up in Crown Point and the surrounding communities.
Improved Facial Symmetry and Bite Function
Cleft conditions often affect how the upper and lower jaws develop and align. Orthodontic intervention guides these structures into proper position, creating a balanced profile and a bite that works the way it should. Your child can chew, speak, and breathe more comfortably, and many of these gains carry over into better nutrition and sleep as well.
Better Speech Development and Clarity
The palate plays a critical role in speech. When teeth and jaws are properly aligned, speech therapy becomes more effective. In coordinated cleft care, speech therapy outcomes generally improve once dental alignment is established, a pattern documented across craniofacial team literature.
Proper Tooth Alignment and Eruption Guidance
Cleft conditions frequently cause teeth to erupt in unexpected positions or fail to develop altogether. Orthodontic treatment monitors and guides tooth eruption, making space where needed and aligning teeth as they come in.
Enhanced Self-Esteem and Social Confidence
A smile matters. Children who feel good about their appearance tend to engage more freely with peers, participate in activities, and develop stronger social connections. We see it firsthand in our Crown Point practice, kids who arrive nervous at their first evaluation eventually walking in with shoulders back, talking about school plays and soccer games. That kind of shift often shapes how a child shows up in classrooms, on sports teams, and at family gatherings for years to come.
Reduced Need for Extensive Future Surgeries
Early orthodontic intervention can minimize skeletal discrepancies, potentially reducing the complexity of surgeries needed later. Guiding growth during childhood often produces better outcomes than correcting problems after growth has stopped.
Better Airway and Breathing Function
Proper jaw development supports healthy breathing patterns. Many children with cleft conditions experience airway concerns that improve as orthodontic treatment expands and aligns the dental arches.
Our Cleft Treatment Process
Cleft orthodontic care unfolds in phases, each timed to your child’s development and coordinated with the broader craniofacial team. Here’s what to expect at each stage of care:
Phase 1: Infant Assessment and Presurgical Orthopedics
Treatment can begin within weeks of birth. Presurgical orthopedics, sometimes called nasoalveolar molding, uses custom appliances to gently shape the gum ridge and nasal cartilage before the first surgical repair. This preparation can improve surgical outcomes and reduce the number of procedures needed.
Not every infant requires this phase. Dr. Boller evaluates each case individually and coordinates with your child’s surgeon to determine the best approach.
Phase 2: Early Mixed Dentition Evaluation (Ages 6-9)
Phase 2 occurs between ages six and nine and focuses on monitoring permanent tooth development as well as jaw symmetry. As baby teeth give way to permanent teeth, we watch how the adult teeth are coming in and whether the jaw is growing evenly. This evaluation typically happens when the first permanent molars and incisors appear.
During these years, we may recommend:
- Palatal expansion to widen a narrow upper arch
- Space maintenance to preserve room for unerupted teeth
- Early alignment of severely displaced teeth
- Coordination with your child’s broader dental team
Phase 3: Pre-Bone Graft Orthodontic Preparation
Most children with cleft palate need an alveolar bone graft surgery, typically performed between ages eight and eleven. Orthodontic preparation before this procedure is critical. We align the teeth and expand the arch to create the right conditions for the graft to succeed.
Pre-graft care usually involves braces or other appliances for several months before the scheduled surgery date.
Phase 4: Full Braces or Aligners in Adolescence
Once the bone graft has healed and permanent teeth have erupted, full orthodontic treatment begins. This is the stage most people picture when they think of braces. Working tooth by tooth, we guide each one into its proper place, close any remaining gaps that opened during growth, and refine the bite so upper and lower teeth meet evenly.
Depending on your teen’s needs and preferences, treatment may involve:
- Traditional metal braces
- Clear or ceramic braces
- Invisalign for appropriate cases
Treatment duration varies based on complexity. Most adolescents wear braces for 18 to 30 months during this stage.
Phase 5: Pre-Surgical Orthodontics (If Jaw Surgery Is Needed)
Some patients develop significant jaw discrepancies beyond what braces can fix on their own. When orthognathic surgery (corrective jaw surgery) is recommended, orthodontic preparation ensures the teeth are positioned correctly before the procedure.
Pre-surgical orthodontics typically begins in late adolescence, after facial growth is nearly complete. Dr. Boller works closely with oral and maxillofacial surgeons to plan and execute these complex cases.
Lifelong Retention and Follow-Up Care
After active treatment ends, retention is essential. Retainers maintain your child’s results for life. We schedule periodic follow-up visits at our Crown Point practice to monitor stability and address any concerns that arise.
Who Needs Cleft Orthodontic Treatment?
Cleft orthodontic treatment is for any child or adult born with a cleft lip, cleft palate, or both, who needs help aligning teeth, guiding jaw growth, or preparing for and recovering from surgical repair. Most patients are referred by a craniofacial surgical team, though families can also self-refer for an initial evaluation. You may benefit from our specialized services if:
- Your child was born with cleft lip, cleft palate, or both. Whether the cleft is unilateral or bilateral, complete or incomplete, orthodontic care will likely be part of their plan.
- Your child’s craniofacial surgical team has referred you. Most families come to us through referrals from plastic surgeons, oral surgeons, or craniofacial centers. We welcome these referrals and coordinate closely with your existing team.
- Your child has dental or skeletal irregularities related to their cleft. Missing teeth, crowded teeth, crossbites, and underdeveloped jaws are common concerns we address.
- You’re an adult seeking secondary cleft-related correction. Perhaps you had treatment as a child but still have concerns about your bite or appearance. It’s never too late to explore your options.
- You’re seeking a second opinion on your child’s plan. If you have questions about recommendations from another provider, we’re happy to review records and offer our perspective.
Every cleft case is different. Some children require minimal orthodontic intervention; others need care spanning two decades. A thorough evaluation at Boller Orthodontic Arts helps us understand exactly what your child needs.
Why Choose Boller Orthodontic Arts for Cleft Care
Families dealing with cleft lip and palate need more than technical expertise. They need a practice that understands the emotional weight of this diagnosis and the long road ahead.
Experience with Complex Craniofacial Cases
Dr. Boller is a specialist-trained orthodontist (DDS, MS) with experience treating complex cases that go beyond routine alignment. She completed an accredited orthodontic residency and continues ongoing orthodontic education, including coursework relevant to growth modification and multidisciplinary care. Cleft patients present unique challenges requiring advanced diagnostic skills and personalized planning. Her residency training included rotations through hospital-based clinics where craniofacial cases are evaluated alongside surgical specialists, giving her direct exposure to the kind of staged care these patients require.
Coordinated Care with Your Surgical Team
Cleft treatment requires teamwork. We coordinate with your child’s craniofacial surgical team, sharing records, imaging, and progress updates so everyone stays aligned. When your child’s surgeon needs orthodontic records or treatment updates, we provide them promptly.
Compassionate, Family-Centered Approach
At Boller Orthodontic Arts, families become part of our practice community. We understand that cleft treatment can stretch across a decade or more, with quiet stretches between active phases and busy seasons leading up to surgery. Our team takes time to answer questions, explain procedures, and support your family through every stage. Small things matter to us. We remember birthdays, milestones, and the names of siblings who tag along to appointments.
Advanced Imaging and Personalized Planning Technology
Precise planning is especially important for cleft cases. Our practice uses digital scanning and imaging tools to create detailed records of your child’s teeth and jaws. These tools let us plan with high accuracy and show you exactly what to expect.
Serving Crown Point, IN and Northwest Indiana Families
As a true private practice rooted in the Northwest Indiana community, we’re here for the long term. With locations in Crown Point and Dyer, we make it convenient for families across Merrillville, Schererville, St. John, and the surrounding region to access specialized cleft care close to home.
Frequently Asked Questions
At what age should cleft orthodontic treatment begin?
Orthodontic involvement can start within the first few weeks of life if presurgical orthopedics is recommended. The first evaluation typically happens around age six or seven, when permanent teeth begin erupting. The exact timing depends on your child’s specific needs and their surgical team’s recommendations.
Is cleft treatment covered by insurance?
Many insurance plans cover orthodontic treatment for cleft lip and palate because it’s considered medically necessary rather than purely cosmetic. Coverage varies significantly between plans. Our team helps verify your benefits, explains what’s covered under medical versus dental policies, and walks through any out-of-pocket estimates with you upfront. We also offer payment plans to make care accessible.
How long does cleft orthodontic care take?
Cleft orthodontic care typically spans 10-15 years across multiple phases, from infancy through late adolescence, with active treatment periods interspersed with monitoring. A child might have orthodontic appliances at age eight, again at age twelve, and potentially again in late adolescence. The total duration depends on the severity of the cleft and how your child’s growth progresses.
Will my child need jaw surgery?
Not every child with a cleft requires jaw surgery, but it’s common for those with significant skeletal discrepancies. Orthognathic surgery may be recommended when jaw growth produces a bite that braces alone cannot fully correct. Dr. Boller monitors your child’s development and discusses surgical options if they become relevant.
How does treatment coordinate with cleft surgeons?
We share records, imaging, and treatment updates with your child’s surgical team on a regular schedule, and we attend joint planning conversations when complex cases call for it. Before any surgical procedure, we make sure the teeth are positioned well. After surgery, we continue orthodontic treatment to refine the results. This collaborative approach produces the best outcomes.
What happens during the bone graft phase?
The alveolar bone graft fills the gap in the gum ridge where the cleft occurred. Before surgery, we use braces to align the teeth and expand the arch, creating the best possible conditions for the graft. After surgery, your child will have a healing period before orthodontic treatment resumes. The graft provides bone support for permanent teeth to erupt into, and is widely considered a routine and reliable step in modern cleft care.
Schedule a Cleft Care Consultation in Crown Point, IN
If your child was born with a cleft lip or palate, you don’t have to face this alone. Boller Orthodontic Arts offers specialized orthodontic care designed to support your family through every stage of treatment, from infancy through adulthood.
Bring any referral paperwork or records from your craniofacial team to your first evaluation. If you don’t have a referral, that’s okay too. We’re happy to evaluate your child and coordinate with other specialists as needed. At your first visit, Dr. Boller will review records, examine your child, and walk you through what the next phase of care looks like, with plenty of room for your questions. Many families tell us they leave feeling clearer and calmer than when they arrived.
Book your free consult online or call (219) 322-7645 to get started. Our Crown Point and Dyer locations serve families across Northwest Indiana, including Merrillville, Schererville, and St. John, and we’re ready to welcome yours.