If you’re considering Invisalign, you probably know its effectiveness as a treatment. In roughly a year, aligning trays can discretely correct your bite and straighten your teeth. Even so, you may be concerned that aligners would change your speech. After all, the ability to speak clearly is an essential part of daily life; you wouldn’t want your trays getting in the way. That said, it’s easy to overcome this issue. Read on to learn how Invisalign could affect your speech and tips for speaking well with it.
So Invisalign Does Affect Speech?
In general, Invisalign doesn’t cause major speech problems. Since the aligners are made of thin plastic, their impact on how you talk is minimal. Still, occasional impediments do happen. They include:
Slight Lisping
You may develop a slight lisp when your Invisalign trays are first fitted. If you do, it’ll be most obvious when you make the “s” or “sh” sounds. It shouldn’t be much of an issue, though, as you’ll likely be the only one who notices.
Changes in Speech Style
When first wearing aligners, you might speak more slowly and slur words. That’s a normal response. Your tongue is adjusting to a new thickness around your palate, not to mention your teeth. Over time, it will get used to functioning with the aligners in place.
How to Reduce Invisalign Speech Impediments
Thankfully, you can correct Invisalign-related speech impediments. Following the right practices, in fact, will let you talk plainly in a matter of days. Therefore, try out these three tips once you get your aligners:
- Read Out Loud – Read books, magazines, and other things aloud so you’ll know where and how to adjust your speech.
- Chat with people – Have conversations with friends, family, and those you trust. They can provide feedback on which words you’re struggling to speak.
- Just keep at it – Continue to practice the pronunciation and enunciation of words. After a little while, you’ll likely overcome your speech issues.
Keep in mind that everyone adjusts differently to Invisalign. Some patients only have speech impediments for the first few hours, while others take several weeks to speak clearly again.
As you can see, Invisalign shouldn’t cause you any lasting difficulty with speech. By remembering to use the tips above, you’ll be able to speak as usual in no time.
About the Practice
Salmon Brook Dental Associates is based in Granby, CT. Their team always strives to exceed patient expectations when it comes to dental care. That being the case, they offer top-notch preventive, cosmetic, and restorative dentistry for all ages. The practice can handle nearly every dental service thanks to its lead dentists, Dr. Endres and Dr. Chawla. For more information or to book an appointment, they can be reached at their website or by phone at (860)-653-4551.