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Cleft & Craniofacial Program

Comprehensive cleft and craniofacial services

The pediatric craniofacial specialists at Children’s Minnesota care for most of the children in Minnesota (and the surrounding states) who have cleft and craniofacial conditions. Led by our ENT and facial plastic surgeons, our team treats everything from cleft lip and palate to rare craniofacial conditions at four clinic locations.

Our program is accredited by the American Cleft and Palate-Craniofacial Association, which provides a standard for team care. We approach each child’s treatment by drawing on the expertise of a multidisciplinary team.

Complex conditions such as cleft lip and palate and craniofacial disorders require coordinated care from multiple providers.  Organizing care can be challenging. We do everything we can to enable patients to see all the necessary providers at one time, and to give those providers an opportunity to discuss recommendations and make plans together, in the same room, with the patient and family present. Our experts provide recommendations while relying on parents’ guidance and feedback. As patients become teenagers, we encourage them to participate in planning for treatment and surgeries.

Our philosophy of care for cleft and craniofacial conditions

Our goal is to make sure that children with cleft lip and palate or craniofacial conditions have the same opportunities in life as any other child — to grow in confidence, excel in school and have fun with their peers.

At Children’s Minnesota, we believe in:

Making a unique, comprehensive plan for each person. We address complicated cleft and craniofacial issues one step at a time, with expertise in audiology, dentistry, surgery, speech and language, otolaryngology and orthodontics.

Taking on the most challenging cases. As the foremost pediatric craniofacial specialists in the area, we diagnose and treat the rarest and most complicated conditions. We see about 350 patients in our cleft and craniofacial clinic each year.

Focusing on long-term wellbeing. Our team helps families prepare for the future by outlining what to expect during the first year of life and beyond for a child with cleft or craniofacial issues.

Prenatal to young adult care for cleft and craniofacial conditions

We begin caring for some patients before they’re even born. We offer prenatal consultations to ease worries, answer questions about what to expect, and introduce parents to the team members that will be a part of their child’s treatment. We see most of our patients for years, often through their final surgeries as they enter adulthood.

Pediatric craniofacial experts

The team of pediatric craniofacial specialists at Children’s Minnesota is lead  by ENT and facial plastics surgery and others on the team may include  oral and maxillofacial surgeons, neurosurgeons, speech pathologists, audiologists, orthotists, dentists, orthodontists, physical therapists, genetic counselors, geneticists, psychologists and social workers.

Our cleft and craniofacial clinic coordinators are available to answer your questions at 612-813-6888

Speech therapy

Noelle Morelle, speech pathologist

Rachel Brewer, speech pathologist

Michelle Eibensteiner, speech pathologist

Meet our Cleft & Craniofacial team

Contact us

For questions or to make an appointment, please call the cleft and craniofacial clinic.