If you’re a new denture wearer, you may find that speaking isn’t quite as easy with a dental appliance in your mouth. Here are a few tips from our Surrey dentists on how to get better at talking with your dentures in.
Whether your dentures are removable or permanent, talking can feel pretty awkward at first, until you become accustomed to your new teeth.
Even if you wear the best dentures available, you may still experience changes or difficulties in your speech at the outset. For instance, you may have trouble pronouncing S’s and F’s, and your dentures may make clicking noises or shift while you’re talking.
The good news is that with practice, you’ll get used to your dentures over time, and you’ll eventually go back to feeling perfectly comfortable when talking.
In the meantime, here are a few useful tips to help make things go more smoothly:
Dentures alter the anatomy of your oral cavity, and can therefore increase or alter the sound of your voice. When you talked before you had dentures, vibrations travelled through the bones of your jaw and skull, and now with the dentures in place, that’s bound to sound a bit different. Just remember that the difference is much more noticeable to you than to anyone hearing your voice from the outside.
If you hear clicking sounds when you talk, try talking a little more slowly. This will prevent additional movements that lift or shift your lower denture. Keeping the lower denture stable requires help from the muscles in your lips, tongue, and cheeks, and this takes a bit of practice to master.
Before you begin speaking, bite down gently and swallow to keep your dentures in their proper position.
If your dentures frequently slip out of place you can use a denture adhesive, as recommended by your dentist.
Practice speaking when you’re alone. Read out loud, repeat words that you have trouble pronouncing, or even talk to your pets. Daily speech practice will help you speak with confidence.