Cleft and Craniofacial Orthodontics

Cleft craniofacial

Craniofacial orthodontics is a sub-specialty of orthodontics that focuses on the treatment of patients with congenital anomalies involving the head and face.

These conditions include:

  • Cleft lip and/or cleft palate
  • Van der Woude syndrome
  • Craniosynostosis (Apert’s, Crouzon)
  • Hemifacial microsomia, facial asymmetries
  • Vascular Malformation
  • Cleidocranial dysotosis
  • Pierre-Robin sequence
  • Treacher Collins syndrome
  • Stickler’s syndrome

Craniofacial anomalies often require coordinated surgical, medical, orthodontic and dental interventions in order to ensure timely and effective outcomes. This type of treatment will often require orthodontic and dentofacial orthopedic treatment during various stages of facial development. The role of the craniofacial orthodontist can vary from providing conventional orthodontic treatment to participating in the surgical correction of skeletal jaw and facial deformities.

Orthodontic/braces treatment for these children tend to be more complex, takes more time and clinical resources, and requires working with multiple dental, surgical and medical providers to achieve the best long-term outcome.

Dr. Renee Roland works with the cranifacial team comprised of craniofacial plastic surgeon, speech pathologists, oral surgeons, pediatric dentistry and other medical specialties in planning treatment to correct cleft lip and palate, as well as other jaw and face abnormalities.

Dr. Renee is currently the attending orthodontist for the craniofacial team at Golisano Children’s Hospital at Strong and has the experience and education necessary to care for the more complex types of jaw and face abnormalities.

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Patients and parents may access additional resources related to these conditions by visiting the website for the American Cleft-Palate-Craniofacial Association (ACPA) www.acpa.cpf.com.

The ACPA recommends that patients born with birth defects benefit the most when all their providers work together in interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary teams, ensuring not only the best outcome, but also the most effective utilization of health resources. www.acpa-cpf.org/teamcare/parameters07rev.pdf

For questions regarding the orthodontic braces treatment options for cleft lip and palate, contact our office.

Additional resources are also available from the website of the Cleft Palate Foundation at http://www.cleftline.org