As you’d expect, speech gets hard when you lose teeth. You need pearly whites to position your tongue and thus form words. That said, dentures can’t fix this dilemma at once; they’re initially tricky to talk with. Wearers must “re-learn” their speech skills before they can pronounce things clearly. Luckily, this learning process doesn’t have to be too hard. Here are some helpful tips for talking with dentures, all from your local Denton dentist.
Dentures & Speech Impediments
Ultimately, dentures can feel odd to wear at first. That’s only natural – they use artificial teeth instead of natural ones. Still, this unfamiliarity can cause short-term speech issues as you adjust. Some of the more common ones are:
- Slurred Speech – Your dentures might trigger excessive salivation, leading to slurred speech while wearing them.
- A Lisp – When you don’t use your lips and tongue as you did before, dentures can cause you to lisp.
- Hard-to-Pronounce Sounds – At times, denture patients struggle to pronounce “s,” “f,” “th,” and “v” sounds.
- Denture Clicking – Since artificial teeth don’t have nerves, you may forget how far they are from each other. That might lead you to bite or bring them together too forcefully.
Tricks for Speaking with Dentures
Ultimately, speech-related denture problems don’t last long. They normally fade within 15-30 days of getting the new teeth. However, you can speed up that adjustment with certain tricks. Some good ones include:
Read Aloud to Yourself
To pronounce words more clearly, try reading a newspaper or book aloud to yourself. Doing so will help you adjust to how your voice sounds with dentures. As a side perk, the practice will build your confidence when you speak with others.
Repeat Challenging Words
Some words can be tough as you begin to speak with dentures. In these cases, repeat and elongate common ones (and phrases) to yourself. You’ll slowly get used to communicating while the dentures are in use. From there, you’ll effectively enunciate with the prosthetics in your mouth.
Talk with Family & Friends
Compared to other methods, talking with peers is the best way to improve your denture speech skills. When a trusted person can hear you talk, they can provide valuable feedback. They can identify which words you still struggle to say, for instance. Holding a conversation while using dentures also helps you feel like yourself.
Ultimately, talking with dentures is something you’ll need time to learn. With tricks like those above, though, that period can be greatly shortened!
About the Practice
Denton Dental Center is based in Denton, TX. Led by Dr. Todd Balington, our practice strives to give patients the very best in dental care. We thus offer preventive, cosmetic, and restorative dentistry, as well as emergency oral procedures. Naturally, then, our team also provides high-quality dentures sure to restore your smile! For more information or to book a visit, you can reach us on our website or by phone at (940)-383-3300.