No parent wishes to look into the face of their newborn baby and discover a craniofacial deformity like a cleft lip and palate. Many children are born with this congenital birth defect that affects both aesthetic and functional aspects of the mouth and face. Children born with a cleft palate can experience problems with feeding, ear infections, speech development and proper growth. Dr. Eric Cerrati can perform pediatric cleft lip and palate surgery at his office in Park City, Utah.

A cleft palate is when an open hole is left in the roof of the mouth due to lack of proper development. Observable at birth, this is caused by the sides of the face not fusing properly during fetal development. Since the face and palate develop apart from one another, a child may only have a cleft lip, only a cleft palate or both. Cleft lip and palate surgery seek to close the openings by using the latest techniques and state-of-the-art technology. The soft palate will be loosened and stretched to fit together then resewn specifically to allow for stretching and movement.

To repair a cleft lip, Dr. Cerrati will make incisions on either side of the cleft to create flaps of skin, muscle and intraoral tissue that are then stitched together. Close attention is paid to recreate a normal lip and nose anatomy that is balanced and symmetrical. Dr. Cerrati recommends correcting the condition between 6-18 months of age in order for proper development to continue.

Skilled and Uniquely Trained Kids Plastic Surgeon

Dr. Eric Cerrati is a skilled and uniquely trained kids plastic surgeon with experience working alongside a world-renowned plastic surgeon and the founder of the Vascular Birthmark Institute of New York. This tenure afforded him valuable experience in pediatric facial plastic surgery where he routinely corrected many rare congenital defects, including cleft lips and palates. He also makes yearly trips to perform these corrective surgeries as a free service in underdeveloped countries.

When your child needs surgical correction for a cleft lip and/or cleft palate, call or message us online to schedule a confidential pediatric surgical consultation with Dr. Cerrati. He can explain more about the procedure, its recovery period and the potential risks and benefits.