Nasal Alveolar Molding (NAM)
Custom orthodontic appliances are becoming more and more important in the treatment of cleft lip/palate. In fact, nasal alveolar molding, a pre-surgery appliance therapy, used along with surgery can significantly reduce the facial disfigurement of cleft lip/palate patients.
The Children’s Center for Craniofacial Disorders is among the small minority of craniofacial centers that offer the NAM device and procedure. Children's installed more than 50 NAM devices in 2005, the most in Georgia and in the Southeast.
What is Nasal Alveolar Molding (NAM)?
NAM is a non-surgical technique used to treat cleft lip and palate patients. The orthopaedic appliance brings the infant’s lip and gum together by redirecting the forces of natural growth.
How Does NAM Work?
- At your child's first visit to the Children’s Center for Craniofacial Disorders, the Children’s pediatric orthodontist will take a mold of your infant's mouth.
- The orthodontist will then create a custom-made plastic plate of your child's mouth, lip and nostrils.
- Your child will wear the plate 24-hours a day for approximately six months. The plate is held in the mouth by surgical skin tape that also helps guide the growth of your child’s face.
- Each week, the orthodontist will reshape the plate, reducing your child's cleft and reshaping his facial features.
What are the Benefits of the NAM Technique?
- Typically, children with cleft lip and palate require between five to seven surgeries—sometimes extending into adolescent years. The NAM device reduces the number of surgeries required during a patient's lifetime, which in turn reduces facial scarring, trauma, inconvenience and cost involved in additional surgeries.
- The NAM device dramatically improves post-surgical aesthetic results for cleft lip and palate patients. In addition, it may also have a dramatic effect on speech and overall health.
- Because the NAM device covers the roof of your infant’s mouth, the NAM appliance also helps with feeding.
When Can the NAM Procedure be Done on My Child?
Your child will have the NAM procedure before he turns 1 year of age. Typically, the NAM technique is started when your child is only 2 weeks old and is worn until his first surgery (typically at 6 months of age).
The NAM is only effective in infants because their cartilage is malleable. After 6 months of age, your child's cartilage is no longer malleable, his teeth begin to come in and he is able to take out the NAM appliance.
What is the Role of the Parents?
The NAM appliance does require extra effort and commitment from parents, so parent participation is essential. In addition to weekly visits to the Children's Center for Craniofacial Disorders, parents will be responsible for attaching the tape to their child’s face. This allows the NAM device to stay in place.