Front Tooth Coming in sideways

[jandkjordan@panax.com]

My daughter was born with a complete cleft lip and palate. She is now almost 7 years old. The side that has the cleft her permenant front tooth has come in completly sideways. I am wondering if they generall fix the teeth at this age or do they wait. She has not had all of her bone grafts, and I am not sure if they will do anything before they are done. She will be 7 years old in July 2002. The other front tooth has come in fine.

[Anonymous]

My son is ten and has as an unilateral cleft lip. His tooth on the cleft side was sideways, too. They did't do anything until this past year when his permenant teeth came in and he had a bone graft to put bone in the gums to hold the teeth. Now he wears braces.

[Jeff Alterman]

This can be a difficult question to answer. The best thing that you can do is perhaps consult with an orthodonist about your daughter's front tooth that came in sideways. There may be someway of rotating it to the correct position probably by using braces. It may be possible to correct this before all of the bone grafts are performed. Jeff Alterman at alterman@bestweb.net