The doctors behind the smiles

When a baby is born with a cleft lip or palate, parents often face a rush of questions and worry. 

Will their child be able to eat or breathe normally? 

Will they be teased? 

What will their smile look like?

These and so many other questions on top of the stress of caring for a newborn can be daunting. 

At SIU Medicine, those fears meet a team of people who have made it their life’s work to bring comfort, confidence and care to children with cleft conditions. From the first days of life to the final stages of adolescence, these doctors are changing what’s possible, one smile at a time.
Dr. Johnson says, “Our role is to walk alongside families from the start. We provide reassurance and alleviate anxiety while outlining the treatment path with certainty. Families can begin to know what to expect and have a resource for where to turn when any questions arise.”

Even before surgery

Cleft care starts long before the operating room. In the first weeks of life, SIU’s cleft team uses gentle, non-surgical methods, called presurgical infant orthopedics and nasoalveolar molding, to guide a baby’s facial growth. Using the natural flexibility of newborn cartilage, these methods help shape the nose and jaw to prepare for future surgery.

Growing together

When a child reaches 3 to 6 months old, the first surgery takes place: a cleft rhinoplasty performed alongside the primary lip repair. It’s a delicate procedure that restores nasal shape and helps improve breathing from the very start.

But cleft care isn’t a one-time event. As children grow, they return for additional surgeries that refine both function and appearance, a process that continues through adolescence. The goal is always the same: helping kids live, laugh and smile without hesitation.

Where skill meets artistry

By the time facial growth is complete, often in the late teen years, patients are ready for their final rhinoplasty. This surgery represents years of teamwork between families and providers. Using advanced techniques and tissue grafts from the patient’s own body, surgeons sculpt the nose to balance form, function and identity.

“Surgical care is often a brief relationship with patients.  This is one area that is vastly different.  We develop long term relationships with these families.  We are privileged to see our patients grow over time and help them navigate the changes that occur during growth/aging,” says Dr. Johnson on the impact of this work.

Leading the way in cleft care

SIU’s plastic surgery and ENT specialists are helping set national standards in cleft treatment. Their recent publication in Facial Plastic Surgery Clinics of North America outlines a comprehensive approach to rhinoplasty care that follows children through every stage of development. It’s a reflection of their surgical expertise and their passion for making care more coordinated and compassionate.

That same passion inspired the return of Dr. Evyn Neumeister, a Springfield native and pediatric plastic surgeon who trained at SIU School of Medicine and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. 

More than medicine

For the cleft care team at SIU Medicine, every surgery is about more than repairing tissue or bone. It’s about helping a child breathe easier, speak clearly and smile without fear.

Each new face tells a story of courage, precision and compassion, proof that when medicine meets heart, transformation follows.

At SIU Medicine, the doctors behind the smiles are also the ones building futures.