Cheiloplasty is the surgical repair of a cleft lip, in which the separated portions of the upper lip are surgically brought together and the muscles are reconstructed to form a continuous, functional lip. The procedure typically entails precise alignment and suturing of the skin, muscle (orbicularis oris), and mucosal tissues of the lip, often using techniques like rotation-advancement flaps. Cleft lip repair is usually performed in early infancy (often around 3 months of age, following the “rule of 10” guideline) to improve feeding ability and normalize oral structure prior to speech development. From an SLP standpoint, repairing the lip is crucial because it allows for proper bilabial closure, which supports normal articulation of sounds like /p/, /b/, and /m/.
Ann W. Kummer, Cleft Palate & Craniofacial Anomalies: Effects on Speech and Resonance, 4th ed. (Clifton Park, NY: Cengage, 2020).
AMBOSS Medical Knowledge. “Cleft lip and cleft palate.” (2025).
