Conall's Cleft Lip and Palate

Conall, our youngest son, was born October 31, 2002 with a wide unilateral cleft lip and palate. Conall weighed 10lbs, 10oz! Not such a little guy! Over his lifetime, he will have several procedures and surgeries to bring the separated parts of his mouth together. We're using the blog as a place to share our experience with others who are seeking information and, perhaps, some reassurance.

March 02, 2012

Transformers - Quad Helix

Conall had his palate expander inserted today by his orthodontist Dr. Cohen. Called a QUAD HELIX - (maybe the next character on Transformers?) similar to a retainer, but this one will be cemented in.   Also known as a "palate expander", its purpose is to create a space in Conall's mouth to prepare for his bone graft (more on that later).  First they took photos and made a mold of his mouth in order to create a custom quad helix.  Then it was inserted a few weeks later.  The procedure was real simple and didn't bother Conall but his mouth was pretty sore by the end of the day, as he could already feel it working.  He'll go back regularly to have the device reactivated until the work is done.




Posted by Patti O'Driscoll at 15:42