Lip and Palate

Children with cleft lip and palate have special concerns related to their teeth and jaws. Most have special dental problems. A cleft may involve the alveolar ridge (bone with teeth growing inside). Since the area of the cleft has no bone, there may be one or more teeth missing, the teeth may be defective in their shape or surface (enamel), or they may erupt into an abnormal position (rotated, tilted etc.) There may even be extra teeth. The teeth most commonly affected are the upper incisors and canines on the side of the cleft.

Treatment of these associated dental and jaw conditions are best carried out by a team of specialists. In NDCS, we have a cleft clinic and the specialists include: 

• Pedodontists (who specialize in the care of children's teeth) 
• Orthodontists (who specialize in braces for tooth movement and the orthopedic movement of the jaws) 
• Oral Maxillofacial Surgeons (who perform surgery in the mouth and jaws) 
• Prosthodontists (who make artificial teeth or mask short or poorly formed teeth).

We will also work closely with specialists from Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH)