Will a new set of dentures affect your speech? Dentures can change the way your mouth moves, making it feel different when you speak. Whether missing teeth significantly impacted your pre-denture speech or you just want to prepare for this new oral appliance, take a look at what you need to know about speaking clearly with dentures.
How Do Your Teeth Affect Your Speech?
Before you can understand the impact of dentures, you may need to know more about how teeth in general (or lack thereof) affect speech and communication.
The spaces missing teeth create in your mouth may make it difficult to speak clearly or make it challenging to pronounce some sounds. Clear speech requires your teeth, tongue, lips, and the muscles of your mouth to work in coordination. Without a full set of teeth to help the rest of your mouth make sounds, you may not have the ability to fully articulate some letters or words.
What Can You Do to Correct Your Speech?
Tooth loss is a common oral issue - especially for older adults. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), just over one-quarter of Americans over the age of 65 have eight or fewer teeth, and 17 percent have none.
If you're one of the many adults with missing or no teeth, you probably have already noticed a change in your speech. If this speech change is significant, affects your daily life, or impacts your confidence level, you can take steps to speak more clearly.
While a dental implant is a permanent fix for one or a few missing teeth, dentures can help you to replace all (or almost all) of your smile. Not only will dentures change the look of your mouth, they'll also help you to eat and speak.
However, this doesn't mean you'll immediately feel comfortable speaking with dentures. The change in your mouth's shape and the addition of extra teeth may seem awkward at first. Some adults need time and extra help to learn how to speak clearly with this type of dental device.
How Can You Speak Clearly With Dentures?
It may take time to get used to your new dentures. If you've lived with missing teeth or gaps in your teeth for years, your new full smile may feel off or odd. This feeling will change over time as you learn to live with your new set of teeth.
Discuss any concerns you have about speech with your dentist. The dental professional can help you to learn more about what to expect after you start wearing dentures and ways to feel more comfortable speaking with this type of oral appliance.
While some people may have problems speaking at first, others have none. Don't expect the worst. Instead, start with small steps. After your dentures are in, speak or read aloud. The act of speaking can help you to identify possible problem areas. If you're not sure whether your speech has changed or what you need to work on, record yourself speaking or get input from family or friends.
Speak slowly at first and listen to each sound. Use a mirror and watch your mouth and teeth as you speak. You may need to slightly move or reposition your dentures as you speak. This will help you to find a comfortable fit and improve the quality of your speech.
Loose or poor-fitting dentures can make it difficult to speak clearly or pronounce certain sounds. If your dentures continue to slip, ask your dentist to check the fit or to give you tips on positioning the appliance correctly in your mouth.
The muscles in your mouth may need extra time to get used to your new dentures. This means you may need to practice speaking often to build coordination and strength back in this area. Gradually, the muscles will adapt to your new teeth. As this happens, you should notice a change in your speech.
Do you need dentures? Contact
Affordable Denture Center for more information.
