Drive-thru dentist in New York helps newborn with cleft lip

A New York dentist is treating an infant with a cleft lip and palate by offering drive-thru services amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to CBS affiliate WROC-TV.

Four-month-old Elijah was born with a cleft lip and palate. A surgery scheduled for late April was moved to the middle of summer due to the pandemic. Rochester, N.Y.-based UR Medicine-Eastman Dental was the only location in Upstate New York offering a device that helps mold lips, gums and cartilage before surgery.

"Elijah was born with a more severe type of clefting of his lip, and his palate and the gum pads," Erin Shope, DMD, pediatric dentist at Eastman Dental, told WROC-TV. "His lip is split into three pieces."

Though the dental practice has limited operations by at least 80 percent due to the pandemic, Elijah's family is still receiving help. The family waits on the side of the road and the mold is adjusted while the family is in the car.

"Babies have very moldable bones and cartilage when they're first born, so we have this tiny little window to help reduce the severity of the cleft," Dr. Shope said, emphasizing the importance of the treatment, which will make the surgery easier.

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