Smile is very simple for us, but it is a luxury for those who have an extra stroke between their lips when God created them. As many children with cleft lip and palate appear in remote mountainous areas or poor areas, for some families in need, there are some charities formed by civil organizations, such as “Smile Train”, “Operation Smile”, etc., which are dedicated to providing free surgery and post-operative guidance for children with cleft lip and palate. The operation of cleft lip and palate is free of charge, as well as post-operative guidance. Is cleft lip and palate surgery safe? All surgeries carry the risk of accidents and complications, and cleft lip and palate surgery is no exception. Generally speaking, choosing a regular hospital with medical qualifications and a professional doctor with experience in cleft lip and palate repair is the right choice to reduce the risk. In addition, adequate communication between doctor and patient before surgery is also necessary to reduce the risk of surgery. 2.What should I do if I choose to have the surgery? Before the cleft lip and palate repair surgery, it is important to ensure adequate nutrition and normal development of the child, and to avoid infection of the respiratory tract, so that the child can receive the surgery in a state of general health. The child should be trained to eat with a spoon or dropper before the surgery to facilitate the recovery after the surgery. Before bone grafting for alveolar ridge fracture, orthodontic treatment should be performed for twisted or misaligned teeth. Dental cleaning treatment should be performed if available to minimize the occurrence of infection. Examinations such as nasopharyngeal fiberscope and x-ray dynamic photography should be performed before orthognathic surgery to understand the status and severity of the palato-pharyngeal closure insufficiency in order to decide on the surgical plan. Before orthognathic surgery, x-rays should be taken to understand and measure the deformity of the upper and lower jaws, and if necessary, three-dimensional CT examination can be done, and upper and lower jaw occlusal modeling can be done, and the osteotomy surgical plan can be pre-designed on the model. Some patients with abnormal occlusal relationship should also undergo orthodontic treatment before surgery. 3.What kind of anesthesia is chosen for the surgery? Except for the corrective surgery of lip and nose deformity for adults who can choose local anesthesia, general anesthesia is required for the repair of cleft lip and palate in infants and young children, bone grafting surgery for alveolar ridge cleft in school age, and orthognathic surgery in adults. 4. How is the surgery performed? (1) The basic principle of cleft lip surgery is to incise the edges of both sides of the cleft, suture the mucosa, muscle layer and skin in layers, so that the shape of the cleft side is as symmetrical as possible with the healthy side, and to restore the continuity of the lip tissues and the formation of a well-shaped middle of the person. After the repair of cleft lip, there may be scar hyperplasia of the incision, deformity of the nose and nasal columella, etc. These can be further treated before school age or corrected by surgery again after puberty when the soft tissue of the face is well developed. (2) The main purpose of cleft palate repair is to close the cleft so that the patient can form a good palatopharyngeal closure and lay a good foundation for correct articulation. During cleft palate surgery, the surgeon makes incisions on both sides of the palate, removes the soft tissues and pushes them to the center, and reconstructs the palate by suturing the muscles, mucous membranes and mucoperiosteum on both sides in layers. (3) Generally, autologous cancellous bone is used to fill the fissure in the alveolar ridge to restore the stability of the premaxilla and the integrity of the dental arch, and to induce the ectopic tooth germs to erupt and grow into the gap of the missing teeth. (4) Voice therapy should be performed after cleft palate repair. If the patient still has incomplete palatopharyngeal closure and voice therapy is not effective, palatopharyngeal closure incompletion correction can be performed after adequate examination. (5) Patients with poor maxillary development and obvious depression in the middle of the face should be treated with orthognathic surgery. 5.What should I pay attention to after surgery? (1) After cleft lip repair, the upper lip should be protected by a lip arch, and the child’s hands should be braked to avoid scratching the operation area. Sutures are usually removed 5-7 days after surgery. (2) After cleft palate repair, children should avoid feeding hot food. (3) The recovery period for both cleft lip and cleft palate is about one week. A liquid diet should be given for a week after cleft lip and palate repair, and a soft diet for 2-3 weeks after surgery. (4) Systematic speech therapy can be started 3 months after cleft palate repair and palatopharyngeal closure incomplete correction. (5) Orthodontic treatment is required before and after orthognathic surgery. Due to the sequential nature of cleft lip and palate treatment, both parents and patients should keep in touch with the treating physician for timely follow-up. 2 years after unilateral complete cleft lip repair