Vancouver, B.C. (British Columbia) Orthodontist Partners Angelina Y.C. Loo & Edwin H.K. Yen

What Do the Plates Look Like?

This is a picture of the plate and the design can vary depending on whether the cleft is isolated to the palate, or involves one side (unilateral) or both sides (bilateral) of the lip.

Once your baby is used to the plate and is wearing the plate full time, Dr. Loo will add the nasal “stent” to the plate. The objectives of the stent are to improve the profile and symmetry of the nose on the cleft side. Weekly or bimonthly visits to Dr. Loo’s office would be necessary for incremental adjustments to the stent.

These are pictures of a baby with a bilateral cleft lip and palate with the two different techniques of the taping in place.

Taping

Once your baby is used to the plate, you can start taping the upper lip. Please note, it is not wise to wear the tape without the plate in place as the tape will move the lip, nose and gums in the wrong direction if the plate is not controlling the movement. You will also find that if you leave the tape on for a long time without the plate in, the plate will no longer fit. The plate is very important to obtain the best surgical result for your baby and should be worn full time. Taping begins by placing a piece of DuoDerm (plastic skin) on both cheeks; this base tape may be left unchanged for one week. Tape is applied onto the DuoDerm in 2 techniques:

stretchy tape alone (about 4.5 to 5 inches in length); or
steristrips and orthodontic elastics.

Dr. Loo will decide which is best and will demonstrate the technique to you. With either technique, you will attach the tape to one side high on the cheek about ½” past the eye and stretch the elastic or stretchy tape across the upper lip. Gently squeeze the sides of the lip together until they blanche white and the gap is as narrow as possible. Attach the other side of the tape high on the opposite cheek about ½“ past the eye.

Sometimes the cheeks react to the taping and a rash appears. We suggest you change the tape once a day and remember to keep the cheeks clean and thoroughly dry to minimize irritation from taping. If the skin irritation is persistent, contact our office.

If you find the tape or elastic bothers the nose, cut a small U out of the tape or elastic below the nose. Usually this is only necessary for the first week while the nose gets used to the tape or elastic.