Dental implants can make a smile look fabulous – I know I have them. However, if you are just thinking about getting them, you may have a lot of questions. You may be wondering how smoking affects implants, whether or not wine will stain them, if they can be whitened or other concerns. I also know from experience that it can be intimidating to ask some of these questions to your dentist. In my dental implant blog, I am going to answer the questions that can be hard to ask. I hope you find the info you need in this blog and that it guides you to the right decision about dental implants. Thanks for reading!
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Will You Have Speech Problems After Receiving Dentures? What to Expect and How to Fix It
Isobel Berry
A few minor speech problems can be quite common after receiving dentures. It's a question of getting used to the dentures, and this is largely achieved by speaking as much as possible when you receive the dentures. This allows your jaw to become used to the small additional weight of the dentures so that the sensation of speaking with dentures quickly becomes a natural feeling. It really is just a matter of repetition—the more you speak, the quicker you'll get used to the feeling of the dentures. Having said that, there are a few other speech problems that you need to aware of. These problems can easily be overcome, although they might require a minor adjustment to your dentures.
Dentures and Lisping
When making a sibilant (the technical term for any "s" sound), your tongue points upwards in your mouth towards the alveolar ridge (the roof of your mouth). Your tongue forms a central groove and air is then pushed along this groove, creating the "s" sound. The addition of teeth to a mouth where they were previously missing can make this whole process slightly more difficult, creating a lisp. This is because when the teeth are closed, the roof of the mouth might be in a slightly higher position than when the teeth were not present (as was the case prior to receiving the dentures). Again, a bit of repetition is necessary. Try an appropriate tongue twister ("Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks") until the "s" sound feels totally natural. If you find it difficult to pronounce the "s" sound even with repetition, you might want to see your dentist. The prosthetic teeth in your dentures might be slightly too long, although this can easily be adjusted.
The Clicking Noise
Dentures can produce an audible clicking noise when you speak, but this should not be occurring. This happens when the dentures shift in your mouth and click against each other, or against any natural teeth that might be in your mouth. You might be aware of this movement, which can create problems when speaking as you try to reposition the dentures with your tongue. See your dentist to ensure that the dentures fit correctly, as they should not be moving in your mouth. The dentures can be relined, where an additional layer is added to the pink section of the prosthesis where it's held against your mouth. A small amount of denture adhesive can also be helpful.
Slurred Speech
Slurred speech can occur when the pink sections of the dentures are in fact too thick. There is simply too much additional bulk in your mouth, which results in a slight slurring of your speech. If the problem persists, your dentist can resize the dentures by shaving off a miniscule layer of the pink section.
Dentures take a bit of getting used to, and it's important to know that any speech problems that you might experience can easily be fixed.
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