Surgery gives children with cleft lips or palates the best possible chance of recovery. Cleft lip repair can be carried out at 3 months and cleft palate closure between 6 and 12 months. Surgical correction supports feeding, speech, and facial development.
For adults who missed early correction or received incomplete treatment, primary repair is still possible and can make a big difference in breathing, speech, and quality of life. It is never too late to seek the care you need.
Secondary surgery addresses what primary repair alone cannot fully resolve. As your child grows, or if you are an adult seeking further correction, additional procedures can fine-tune the results and address any remaining concerns.
For children, secondary care is carefully timed around facial growth milestones. For adults, surgery can be carried out at any stage to address longstanding concerns with jaw alignment, nasal appearance, speech, or the palate.
The first appointment involves a thorough evaluation of the cleft's extent and impact on feeding, speech, breathing, and bone structure. X-rays, imaging, and scans may be arranged to build a complete picture before any decisions are made.
The dentist will explain available surgical options in plain language, explaining the recommended approach, expected outcomes, and the right timing for you or your child. You can ask questions and discuss budget concerns as well.
Cleft surgery is performed by a specialist dental surgeon using techniques tailored to each cleft. Surgery time can vary depending on the severity of the condition. Your surgeon will explain the procedure in advance.
Cleft surgery requires ongoing specialist review. Your surgeon will schedule check-ups to monitor healing, assess speech development, and determine whether further corrective procedures are needed.
Our cleft lip and palate correction surgeries restore normal feeding, breathing, and speech by repairing the structural abnormalities that affect how the mouth, lip, and palate work together throughout life.
Cleft repair addresses visible differences in the lip, nose, and facial symmetry. Our surgeons focus on natural, proportionate results that enhance appearance while preserving each patient's unique features.
Achieving the best results from cleft treatment requires careful planning across multiple stages. Our specialists coordinate each procedure with the next, ensuring that every intervention delivers lasting improvement.
We’ve gathered the most frequently asked questions from patients, so you can get quick answers without waiting. Answers are written by our dental team to provide reliable information. For detailed and personalised questions, please call us or submit an online enquiry.
Some Sri Lankans choose to pay for cleft lip and palate correction at private clinics for convenience, comfort, access to advanced secondary treatments, and the ability to choose their surgeon. While cleft correction is free at a couple of government clinics, access is largely limited to children and subject to capacity constraints. Private care offers secondary and adult procedures that may not be available through the public system.
Cleft lip or palate surgery can cost between Rs 100,000 and Rs 500,000 at private clinics in Sri Lanka. At Prime Smile, costs include comprehensive aftercare, personalised treatment planning and your choice of surgeon.
No, cleft lip correction is not performed soon after birth. Babies need to be at least 3 months old for cleft lip repair and at least 6 months for palate repair. The right timing is very important to ensure the baby can fully recover from the surgery.
Yes, adults can undergo cleft lip or palate correction, if the surgery was not performed during childhood, or revision, if the surgery in childhood was incomplete or left scars. Our surgeons combine corrective care with plastic surgery to restore appearance.