FaceFormer® Feedback

Cleft lip and palate – Consistent FaceFormer training pays off

My son (9 years old) was born with a left-sided cleft lip and palate. He also quickly manifested CMD. The mouth was constantly open, the tongue hung limply out of the mouth, permanent salivation and very poor speech quality were the result. The jaw malpositions were pre-programmed. At the same time, he constantly had a cold, and without a tympanostomy tube, new effusions quickly developed in the middle ear. This was a consequence of the anatomical anomaly but also due to the complete lack of nasal breathing. Despite conventional and consistent speech therapy, the results were poor or even non-existent.

Only the change to ISST Berndsen at the age of 3 years brought the turnaround. Establishing the FaceFormer day and night and doing exercises consistently 3 times a day according to Dr Berndsen’s instructions showed a clear improvement after only a few months, especially in the quality of speech. The salivating also came to an end quickly. The exercises continue to this day, but they are integrated into everyday life and my son now does them almost independently. Even a major speech-improving operation could be averted through the consistent use of the FaceFormer and the exercises.

Conclusion: If we had known sooner that the FaceFormer and ISST existed, we would have decided to use it right after the birth. It is certainly not always easy to practice consistently with a (small) child, but it pays off. Many thanks to Dr Berndsen and the whole team for their patience and highly competent care. Anyone who doesn’t know our son’s history can’t tell, not least because of the scientifically based concept behind the FaceFormer.

Family B. from HSK