How does the procedure to fix a cleft palate work?

Carefully: The goal of cleft palate surgery is to 1) re-orient the muscles of the soft palate to allow for normal speech development and 2) close the cleft itself. There are a number of different techniques to accomplish these goals, and your child's surgeon should be able to explain them to you before surgery.

Surgeries...again...: Fixing a cleft palate typically requires a number of surgeries as the patient grows. These are usually bone grafting surgeries combined with a prosthetic called a palatal obturator (depending on the severity). Speach pathologists are frequently also involved.

Surgery.: The area is opened up and set up to allow new tissue, natural and transplanted and synthetic, to fill the void.